Energy In (as Electricity, Gas, Oil, water) = Energy Usage (for the need of the building) + Wasted Energy + Energy Loses

Energy usage will be items like production activities, heating, ventilation, cooling etc. which are essential for the functioning of the business.

Waste energy are like exhaust from boilers and other fuel burning equipment, exhaust of used air, used water drained into drainage and so on.

Energy loses are due to undesirable leakage out of the building.

The first step in an Energy Audit process is to gather information of Purchased Energy by way of Utility bills – Electricity, gas, oil, water etc. for at least one year and 2 to 3 years would be preferable. Analysis of these bills – called Preliminary Energy Use Analysis (PEA), give an idea of baseline energy usage and Energy Use Intensity (EUI) and compare it to other buildings of similar function. This comparison indicates how efficiently your building uses energy compared to similar buildings and similar usage.

If EUI of your building is higher than the others, there is a good potential to go to the next step to become more energy efficient.

Next Steps:

Arrange a Level 1 Audit – which is a walk through audit to identify low cost/no cost measures for improving energy efficiency. Level 1 Audit additionally identifies potential capital improvements which can improve energy efficiency/reduce energy consumption.

This audit/survey consists of visiting the site and walking through all spaces of the building and noting of anomalies, talking with key personnel on the way the building is operated/used and to establish general energy saving potential.

If you are managing a portfolio of buildings, Level 1 survey of all the buildings can establish which building has higher potential and to prioritize for Level 2, Level 3 audit.

Stay tuned for more on Level 2, Level 3 audits and what results could be expected.

What are the costs of Energy Audit?

Managers know very well that Financial Audit has costs associated with it. In the case of Energy Audit too there are costs associated with it. However part of the audit fee is recoverable via Audit Financing programs by Utilities – typically 50% of eligible audits. The balance cost is usually recoverable on adopting the recommendations by way of energy savings. Capital equipment upgrades also have incentive programs.

Contact us by saveonenergy@newdawn-es.com or phone 416 855 9377 to book an appointment to help your energy management team.

We all know the posted price for energy, but many of us do not realize the true costs. There are many hidden costs that most of us do not realize. It is not obvious but we are quietly paying these additional costs every day in different ways. These additional indirect costs actually make the real cost of the current fossil fuel energy sources many times higher than the posted price. Unfortunately we do not know all of the necessary cost components that contribute to the hidden costs of using fossil fuel. Listed below are some of the hidden costs of using fossil fuel.

• Air Pollution
• Noise pollution
• Water and Land Pollution
• Thermal Pollution
• Health Related Costs
• Macro-Economic Costs
• National Security
• Global Warming

Costs of healthcare is getting out of control and becoming a major financial burden for many countries. Large part of health problems are due to the food consumed, the air breathed and the water drank. To increase production excessive use of fossil fuel based fertilizers, and fossil fuel powered engines are used in food industry. Combined with this fossil fuel power plant emissions and fuel related water pollution all make their way into our bodies through what they eat, drink or breathe and creating health problems. Costs associated with treating these problems are indirectly passed on through higher taxes, increased pollution clean up costs and higher medical costs.

Burning fossil fuels for power generation causes global warming. Even if we had unlimited and secure fossil fuels (which we don’t) we could not continue to burn them at the current rate of use. Scientists have already proved that the planet we all live on cannot support the current level of fossil fuel use. Hence we must turn to renewable energy sources and that create opportunities and not sources that destroy the space we live, our drinking water and our planet.

We need to turn to renewable sources of energy now; not in 5 or 10 years when our math shows us profitable; whatever that means? By turning to solar and other renewable we can lower healthcare costs, reduce air, water, thermal pollution and develop a more stable economy with local resources. To their part prudent governments are doing their part to encourage their people to switch to solar with incentives of various forms. It is up to us to make a choice to spend the money on renewable now and contribute to alleviating above mentioned problems or spent the money in healthcare and clean up expenses later.

shoppers some installation companies offer solar leases. Under this model, the solar company installs a PV system and pay the property owner a fixed price rent to their roof and keep the income / saving for the duration of the agreement. These companies’ aggressive advertising of solar leases created an artificial upsurge in demand for leases and many homeowners were led to believe that system ownership was cost-prohibitive.

Can going green by leasing solar panels for your roof cost you money — or give you headaches — when you go to sell the house? Possibly both.

Say you get pitched by one of the companies offering solar panels at no upfront cost and they will pay you money annually. Sounds like a good deal and you sign on. Then a few years later you decide to sell the house. You assume that the presence of solar panels can only be a marketing plus, maybe even get you a higher price. Some would-be buyers won’t sign a contract unless you buy out the remaining lease term with solar company which would cost more than if you had initially purchased it. Issues like these are popping up increasingly and are interfering in sales and closings of real estate sales, according to US real estate industry experts.

Be aware of the potential complexities that can occur when you lease, rather than buying solar panels. If you opt for a lease, understand your long-term obligations.

The $0-down solar loan makes it possible for homeowners to capture more of their solar energy system’s value, and provides a route to system ownership for those that cannot afford a cash purchase. Homeowners with access to loan can save significantly more over their system’s lifetime than if they entered into a lease agreement.

Ownership = Higher Home Value

Multiple studies have shown that solar system ownership means better home value. In addition studies have also found that installing a PV system on a home increases property values and only if the system is owned, rather than leased.

With net metering program when your solar panels produce electricity, it goes first to powering the lights, appliances and electronics in your home used at that time. If your solar power system produces less electricity than you need or if you need energy when the sun isn’t shining at all, that power is automatically supplied from the utility grid. If your solar power system produces more electricity than you need, the extra electricity is send back to the utility grid and you get credited for the electricity you send back to the grid at the same retail price that you pay for the electricity you consume from the grid.

With net metering, the homeowner is only billed for the “net” electricity used each month, that is, the difference between the energy produced by the solar power system and the energy consumed by the house over the monthly billing period. If your solar power system produces more than you consume in a billing cycle, you get credit and this credit is carry forward to next billing cycle and so on. Under the Net metering program offered in most jurisdictions any credit you accumulated must be used with in a calendar year. Ontario government along with IESO is currently formulating the rules for the Net metering program and it is commonly expected that this rule will also prevail in Ontario.

We have made an effort to explain the difference between these two programs, if it is still not clear to you or have other questions or would like to get a free solar assessment of your property do not hesitate to contact us.

1. GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES

Federal, provincial governments offer incentives to encourage homeowners to switch to solar power. The solar incentives vary by province, Ontario government’s current incentive – Feed in tariff pays premium for the solar electricity for 20 year. And the federal government allows solar system owners to get 100% HST rebate and depreciate their solar energy system at 50% rate.

Ontario government’s feed in tariff incentive program set to end in 2017 and replaced by Net metering program. Contrast to Feed in Tariff program, under Net Metering program, whenever the solar system is generating more electricity than you actually can use, the system is designed to send the solar electricity into the grid and you receive a credit for the energy your system is pushing onto the grid.

2. LOWER or ELIMINATE ELECTRICITY BILLS

The most immediate effects solar power system owners will see are no or lower utility bills. Once you hit the point where your solar panels have paid for themselves, its real savings straight to the bank after that. With utility rates climbing regularly, each year you’ll save more with solar than the year before. However, the long-term advantage of solar energy is energy independence. Once the upfront costs for the system are paid, there is no longer a need to worry about the availability or price of energy as long as the system is running – you are the energy provider.

3. INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME

Buying a home with solar panels directly translates into additional income or lower electricity costs. Just like homes in preferred school districts or homes with good Home Energy Ratings, solar panels will increase a home’s attractiveness on the market. A study conducted by Lawrence Berkeley Labs in US clearly shows that your home’s value will increase by $4000.00 for every kilo watt of solar powers. The exact numbers vary from property to property and installation to installation, but an average increase in resale value being $4000.00 for each one kilowatt (kW) of solar power installed. The property value advantages of solar energy only increase as you scale up. It’s important to note that these statistics only apply to today’s housing prices and utility rates. As electricity prices go up (as they most certainly will), the advantages of solar energy rise as well.

4. LOW MAINTENANCE AND HIGH RELIABILITY

Modern solar-electric systems are built to withstand normal and seasonal environmental conditions with little to no maintenance. Operating and maintenance (O&M) involves preventative routines mostly defined by inspections, both periodic and after significant events, such as storms. Owners of residential and small scale installations often can perform these inspections themselves. We freely educate our customers on low risk routines. Local conditions, such as winds, dust and birds will determine the frequency. We include monitoring system with each and every solar power system we sell. Monitoring system will help the owner of the system to keep a close eye on the solar power system and take an appropriate action when needed.

5. SECURE PLANET FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS

Yes, this is the most important benefit of installing solar panels. While generating electricity solar panels do not create any waste or emissions. Unlike coal or diesel power plants, solar power system produce clean, renewable energy from a fuel source that requires no locating, excavation, transportation, or combustion. Solar power is as reliable as the sun – shining again and again for thousands of years. Last but not least, solar also grants energy independence, since the fuel for solar panels is the sun’s energy and is available everywhere and it is free for everyone.