Three free resources to help your business save
Energy efficiency can help your business save in times of uncertainty
Like the rest of the world, the Canadian economy is currently facing some signs of uncertainty and many businesses in B.C. are aware of the need to find savings. A great way to do this is to look for areas where you can increase your energy efficiency, enabling you to save money and also reduce your business' impact on the environment at the same time.
As a reminder, here are three free resources to help your business save:
1. Step-by-step user guide for energy efficiency upgrades
Upgrading your lighting or compressed air equipment can create some significant savings – especially if you've successfully applied for project funding through our Conservation and Energy Management (CEM) Hub and Self-serve Incentive program (SIP).
You can apply online, and to make the process even easier, we've recently updated the CEM Hub/SIP quick start user guide [PDF], which walks you through step-by-step instructions on how to register for the CEM Hub and initiate and submit a SIP project for our approval, as well as requesting payment once your project is complete.
You may have also noticed that it's now called the Conservation and Energy Management Hub, (previously Strategic Energy Management Hub). This is because the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance also has a SEM Hub. Since there are customers who might use both depending on where their facilities are located, we decided to change our name to CEM (Conservation Energy Management).
2. Employee engagement tools
We offer self-service incentives for lighting and compressed air projects. But what if your company isn't ready to begin a retrofit project right now? There could be a very simple way to make some big compressed air savings using our free, downloadable compressed air aware toolkit. Larger facilities can also request a BC Hydro Leak tag kit through their Key Account Manager or Regional Energy Manager.
Believe it or not, just a single quarter-inch leak from an air compressor can add $7,500 in additional power costs. Our compressed air aware toolkit and leak tag kits were developed based on input from customers and engineers. They provide you with all the materials you need to run an awareness campaign in your facility that teaches everyone how to spot, tag, and report leaks. Each kit includes a step-by-step guide, posters, email copy, an employee survey brief, and many other useful resources.
3. Get advice from experts to help you get started
Our tools and guides help many customers make all kinds of energy efficiency improvements every day. But what if you don't know where to begin, or have an energy question that you can't find an answer to? That's where our team of experts can help. Try reaching out to:
- Your Key Account Manager (KAM) if your business uses over four gigawatt hours of electricity a year
- A Regional Energy Manager (REM) if your business uses under four gigawatt hours of electricity a year
They'll help you to determine your eligibility for any of our incentives or programs and explain how to navigate the application process from beginning to end. They can also advise on any next steps from our employee engagement tools. REMs regularly save our smaller customers many thousands of dollars in electricity costs every year.
Ready to get started?
To start making energy efficiency savings for your business, contact your Key Account Manager or Regional Energy Manager, or call 604 522 4713 in the Lower Mainland or 1 866 522 4713 elsewhere in B.C.