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Ohio Business Energy Resource Center

Ohio is among the top ten energy users in the nation. In the face of rising energy prices nationwide, the state of Ohio is finding ways to help business and industry manage their energy usage to get the most from their energy dollars today.

Successful businesses know the value of timely action. This site is designed as your front door to locate the information you need to reduce energy waste and manage energy costs.

Start here and start now with these tips, tools, and resources to manage energy for short-term savings and long-term energy solutions.

• Know your energy profile. EnVinta Energy Diagnostics , Plant-wide Assessments , and SavEnergy Audits help businesses know where to start.
  
  
• Turn down your thermostat to 68° and you will see immediate results on your first winter gas and electric bills. Each degree you lower your thermostat saves you nearly 3% on the energy you use for heating.
  
  
• Match your energy use to your operating needs. Use free daylight for general lighting and add task lighting when higher light levels are needed. Turn off lights, appliances and equipment when not in use. Install and use motion sensors, time of day controls, and programmable thermostats to more precisely match your energy use to your lighting, heating and ventilation needs. Consider installing Vending Misers or Cooler Misers on beverage machines to save 40% or more on energy costs. Use specially designed software tools to help you identify savings in pumps, fans, steam and other systems.
  
  
• Know your electric utility rates and take best advantage of time of day rates. You can design your equipment and lighting to start up at appropriate intervals or only when needed to minimize costs due to electric demand charges.
  
  
• Maintain your equipment and your fleet vehicles for peak efficiency and extended equipment life. Consider maintenance contracts with service providers to gain the benefits of specialized technical knowledge and practical experience.
  
  
• Replace inefficient incandescent lighting with ENERGY STAR^® qualified compact fluorescents (CFLs) and illuminate exit signs with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to increase efficiency.
  
  
• Choose ENERGY STAR® -qualified equipment whenever possible. ENERGY STAR^® equipment has been designed to meet strict efficiency standards that will save you money in energy costs.
  
  
• Keep warm, conditioned air working for you, your employees, and your customers. Insulate between heated and unheated spaces. Plug air leaks around windows, doors, light switches, electrical outlets, and other openings. Design and build for energy performance .
  
  
• Know the value of energy efficiency in contributing to your business' success .
  
  
• Explore financial resources to put efficient and renewable energy technologies to work for your business. The Advanced Energy Program administers grants and low-interest loans as incentives to businesses for installing energy efficient and renewable energy technologies. Tax exemptions for real property tax, personal property tax, sales tax, and/or franchise law exemptions help make energy efficiency investments even more attractive for facilities that qualify.