Monday, July 6, 2009

Protecting Diminishing Profits


A recent study by the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy found that small businesses in the commercial sector, for instance, paid 30% more for electricity and 20% more for natural gas than the bigger guys. As the rates go up, energy experts say that people can hold their own electricity costs steady, or even reduce them, by making their homes and businesses more energy-efficient.
All business owners are concerned about keeping their customers comfortable and their perishable goods from spoiling. The cost of keeping the temperature at a comfortable level has reached the point where it is now affecting the ever shrinking profit margin. To do nothing is to accept the status quo and continue to pay the power company for energy we never use. Fortunately we can take advantage of energy saving technology that will control costs and provide a more efficient electrical system without sacrificing comfort.
The POWER FACTOR CORRECTION DEVICES are designed to provide significant savings on electric bills, increase the life of electrical motors through heat reduction and provide surge protection for the entire home or business. What has been widely available to large industry and big business for decades is now available to residential homes and small business. These devices are now being manufactured as compact units that reclaim and recycle electrical energy.
The PFCD fine-tunes the electrical system in your home or business. This fine tuning reduces heat generation, reduces amperage and results in reduced consumption of electricity. It causes less waste of electrical energy while increasing the life of the inductive equipment in your home or office. It protects against power surges and increases the capacity to the electrical panel by making it run cooler. All this means extra dollars in your pocket. There are many different ones on the market today at all different price points. The most efficient, most cost effective and best performing Power Factor Correction Device on the market today is ESS “Electrical Savings System”. It can be used in your home on a single panel breaker box or on a three phase electrical box in your business. One unit per breaker box, connects with three wires- to the neutral and ground. The cost is only $349.00
A small price to pay for a device that requires no maintenance and has a ten to fifteen year life span. There is an online calculator at http://www.a1energydoctor.com/where you can enter your average monthly energy bill and calculate your estimate of savings over a period of years. Everyone will benefit from using this technology. You can expect to see savings of 8-25% without changing anything. No cutting back on A/C, lighting or appliance use!! The ESS helps save on energy costs, eliminate energy waste, increase the life of your appliances, electronics and motors and provide surge protection for your home or business. It also reduces your Carbon Footprint on our planet which means less fossil fuel burning, less stripping our planet for coal, less smog, less Global Warming and less dependency on foreign oil. Call 877-896-2780 for more information.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Instantly increase your profit margin—Cut your energy costs.

Everyone in business knows the high cost of energy is cutting into their profits. To just continue to pay and not be aware of ways to cut that cost is defeating the purpose of being in business. By paying attention and taking advantage of new technology you can take control and cut your costs significantly. I have done the research and am confident that the energy conservation products I have agreed to represent are the best priced and most effective on the market today. You will see immediate results in your energy usage and your energy costs. It costs you nothing to see what your savings could be. Simply send your average monthly energy cost to info@a1energydoctor.com and you will receive and analysis of not only how much you could save but you will also be able to see your return on investment. In today’s marketplace it is important to be proactive and take advantage of every means to cut the cost of doing business. Stop paying for energy that you never use.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Power factor-What is it anyway?

Power factor is a measurement of the electricity being used efficiently in your home or business. The operative word here is efficiently. To measure the power factor for the electricity you are paying for is not difficult but you will need special tools to do so. It is safe to assume that the average home has a power factor of 60-75%. Business can be much lower than that because of the greater need to draw more power for inductive loads.
Ideally, everyone should be operating at 95% efficiency. That means anything less than that represents the percentage of power you are paying for but not using. A simple example would be: If your power factor is .60 and realistically you should be at .95 then you are paying for but not using from 30-35% of the power flowing into your system. This is important, especially for small business owners because most power companies have the ability to penalize customers who have a low power factor by charging a penalty fee. You may not even realize this is happening because believe it or not, the power companies don’t always label this fee in a way that you would recognize it.
Everyone needs to be concerned about this because, a low power factor causes a strain on your electrical distribution system and the wiring in your home or business. This strain heats the wiring and causes a loss in wattage. This means that all of your motors and circuits have to work harder to run efficiently and you end up paying for power you do not use.
Now that energy capacitors are readily available for residential homes and small business there is no reason anyone should be operating inefficiently or paying for more than they actually use. Do your homework and make sure you do not pay too much. I have seen residential capacitors being sold for as much as $1500 and small business or three phase panels for as much as $4,000. The return on investment can be a lot longer than necessary. It is possible to have a hard wired capacitor installed in your home or business for under $500.00 – DON’T PAY TOO MUCH! Check the testing and the certifications and trust your distributor. Some are better than others and the technology is getting better all the time but the reality is the mission is the same. Increase your power factor and all of your appliances, electronics and equipment will run more efficiently and you will save substantial dollars each and every month.
While we are on the subject of “paying too much”, another great product on the market today is foil insulation. Different companies label the product as Radiant Barrier, Utility Shield, Energy Saver RB, Energy Blanket, Foil Blanket …whatever the name most have the same range of weights and types and all products are comparable and do the same job. This product works in all climates, especially in the southeast by keeping the sun’s rays out of the attic and cutting down on the cost of cooling one’s home or business. This product is usually marked at dinner shows where you are invited to get a free dinner in exchange for listening to a presentation about the product. Then comes the pitch-but you will not know what the price is unless you allow the sales person into your home so they can measure your attic. The price will end up being between $1.50 and $3.00 a sq. ft. installed. Just buying the product and installing it yourself is not usually an option when buying from one of the companies that market in this way. This product does work and those who have installed it do save energy and money. You can have this product drop shipped to your home for under .50 sq. ft. and install it yourself or hire someone in your area to do it for you for about reasonable price. Do the math and you will save a lot more money and you return on investment will be much quicker. Get more information from A-1 Energy Doctor and then make an informed decision.
Remember, the higher the power factor, the less amperage you will need to run your home or business. You will use less kilowatt hours and increase the efficiency of your inductive loads and most importantly you will reduce your energy bills. For additional information or inquiries, contact Linda Morneau info@a1energydoctor.com or go to her site http://www.a1energydoctor.com

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Energy Capacitors work to save money and conserve energy

Electric utility rates for industrial and commercial facilities are usually composed of at least two components.
 One is the “energy rate” or the kilowatt-hour charge, which is related to the fuel that is expended in producing and delivering that energy.
 A second is the “demand rate”, the kilowatt, or kVA demand charge. This usually related to the capital investment that must be made to build the generation, transmission, and distribution facilities necessary to provide the electrical energy to the consumer.
Since the capability of your utility’s power generating and distribution system is limited by the current it might carry, the utility’s ability to supply power is affected by the power factor of the load.
Since the reactive component of current is not registered on the kilowatt-hour meter, some utilities charge for low power factor by applying penalties or surcharges or by applying demand charges on kVA, or apparent power instead of kW, or active power demand.
These charges differ from utility to utility and are often expensive.
Save Energy & Money: Improve Your Power Factor by installing a capacitor
Energy capacitors are now not only available for big business and industry but are now widely available for small businesses and residential homes.
Some are only designed to increase the power factor of your electricity but others are available that multi-task by not only increasing your power factor but they will protect your appliances and expensive electronics from spikes and surges in the lines while eliminating any noise as well.
If your utility company charges a premium or a penalty if your power factor falls below a certain level you will save money.
If your voltage levels are consistently higher because your power factor has increased, all of the motors that run your appliances and heating and cooling devices will perform better and last longer.
Utility bills must be analyzed carefully to understand the potential savings of improving power factor.
Are You Being Charged a Power Factor Penalty?
This penalty applies more to business than to home owners but is still worth checking past bills just to be sure. You can have your bills analysed free. Know where your extra costs are coming from.
Preferably all bills for the previous year should be collected in order to observe seasonal variations and/or long term trends in consumption. Specifically look for the energy charge and the demand charge, if any. The energy charge is determined by multiplying the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy consumed in a month times the energy rate in $/kWh.
Reduce Distribution Losses: Add Capacitors
Distribution losses in a facility can be reduced by the addition of capacitors and the resulting increase in power factor. These losses are estimated by summing estimates of the transformer losses and cable losses. This reduction is due to the decrease in current flowing through the distribution system and is sometimes referred to as “I²R” losses.
Release of system capacity
The expression, “release of capacity” means that as power factor of the system is improved, the total current flow will be reduced. This permits additional loads to be added and served by the existing system. In the event that equipment, such as transformers, cables, and generators, may be thermally overloaded, improving power factor may be the most economical way to reduce current and eliminate the overload condition.
A-1 Energy Doctor will analyze your situation and suggest energy saving power solutions that will save you money. Contact us to learn how we can reduce your small business and residential energy costs. Linda began promoting the Energy products after doing seminars and informational programs for a local home improvement company. She has put together a line of high quality, satisfaction guaranteed products that are affordable and energy efficient. Join the “Go Green” Team and add an energy efficient product to your existing line or start your own Go Green business. Call 877-896-2780 or check out products and click “Opportunity” to see how easy it is to begin. Contractors, Architects, realtors and anyone who is ready to expand their horizons and succeed in business while maintaining complete control of your time.

How much does insulation cost?

I guess this is probably one of the most asked questions in terms of home insulation. This article tells you what the cost of insulation is and how to do a rough estimate on insulation cost
First of all, the cost of insulation largely depends on R-value of the material and the size of a specific area of your house that you want to insulate. With that being said, you can determine the cost by first figuring out the R-value requirement in your area. R-value requirement depends on where you live and climate of the area as well as the specific place in your house that you want to insulate. For example, if you live in Florida and you want the wall to be insulated, then the required R-value is R-13 according to the diagram at the bottom of this article. If you live in North Dakota, the R-value is different and it is R-18. If you are going to insulate the attic for instance, then the R-value is going to be different. Anyway, the important thing to know is higher R-values means higher insulation cost. Therefore, an R-18 requirement certainly costs more than R-13 for the same insulation material.
After determining the R-value, the next thing is to find out the insulation material that you want to use. Different insulation materials cost differently even though they achieve the same R-value. Popular insulation materials are fiberglass and cellulose. Their respective R-value is 3 and 3.3 per inch of material. Therefore, to achieve an R-value of 18, you would need about 6 inches thick of fiberglass or 5.5 inches thick of cellulose.
When you know the R-value and the insulation material, you will need to estimate the size of the space that you want to insulate. For example, the area of your upper floor space or the foot print of a one story home will represent your attic space in most cases. It is best to have insulation of any kind professionally installed.
Moreover, a rough estimate for a complete insulation job on a typical family home can run $2,000 -$10,000 or more, but averages $2,500 -$5,500, depending on materials, the regional climate and the local economy.
Installing a Thermal Blanket like Super R Plus or TempShield has proven to be effective and is usually less expensive than blown or sprayed. Before adding the bulkier batting, it would benefit you to consider the alternatives.
A-1 Energy Doctor provides quality products at affordable prices.
Conserving energy is important and cost effective.
Now is the time to take advantage of the 30% tax credit and other business incentives.
Start conserving energy and saving money today!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

How to cut your energy costs

Electric utility rates for industrial and commercial facilities are usually composed of at least two components। • One is the “energy rate” or the kilowatt-hour charge, which is related to the fuel that is expended in producing and delivering that energy. • A second is the “demand rate”, the kilowatt, or kVA demand charge. This usually related to the capital investment that must be made to build the generation, transmission, and distribution facilities necessary to provide the electrical energy to the consumer. Since the capability of your utility’s power generating and distribution system is limited by the current it might carry, the utility’s ability to supply power is affected by the power factor of the load. Since the reactive component of current is not registered on the kilowatt-hour meter, some utilities charge for low power factor by applying penalties or surcharges or by applying demand charges on kVA, or apparent power instead of kW, or active power demand. These charges differ from utility to utility and are often expensive.Save Energy & Money: Improve Your Power Factor by installing a capacitor like The PowerwoRxTM Clean Power SystemEnergy capacitors are now not only available for big business and industry but are now widely available for small businesses and residential homes.Some are only designed to increase the power factor of your electricity but others are available that multi-task by not only increasing your power factor but they will protect your appliances and expensive electronics from spikes and surges in the lines while eliminating any noise as well.If your utility company charges a premium or a penalty if your power factor falls below a certain level you will save money.If your voltage levels are consistently higher because your power factor has increased, all of the motors that run your appliances and heating and cooling devices will perform better and last longer.Utility bills must be analyzed carefully to understand the potential savings of improving power factor. Are You Being Charged a Power Factor Penalty?This penalty applies more to business than to home owners but is still worth checking past bills just to be sure. Preferably all bills for the previous year should be collected in order to observe seasonal variations and/or long term trends in consumption. Specifically look for the energy charge and the demand charge, if any. The energy charge is determined by multiplying the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy consumed in a month times the energy rate in $/kWh.Reduce Distribution Losses: Add Capacitors Distribution losses in a facility can be reduced by the addition of capacitors and the resulting increase in power factor. These losses are estimated by summing estimates of the transformer losses and cable losses. This reduction is due to the decrease in current flowing through the distribution system and is sometimes referred to as “I²R” losses.Take twelve months of your energy bills and have them audited. You will be surprised how much you pay for power you do not use and how much the demand and power factor penalties add up. Any time you can save money it affects your bottom line.A-1 Energy Doctor is a go green company that helps small business and home owners save money while conserving energy.

http://www.a1energydoctor.com/ Contact us to learn how we can reduce your small business and residential energy costs.