Democratic Governor Jay Inslee of Washington has signed legislation that will provide a way to study and then implement the best ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state and elsewhere. Governor Inslee, who identified climate change is one of his key issues, supported the bill during debate, and its enactment into law was praised by environmental groups.

Under the new law, an independent consultant will study efforts to reduce carbon emissions, while a newly created group of legislators and other leaders will use the consultant’s evaluation to recommend ways to reduce pollution that is associated with climate change.

The group will focus on strategies that will provide the greatest environmental benefit for the money spent. A law passed in 2008 calls for Washington to return to 1990 emissions levels by 2020, and the new law is expected to help the state reach those goals.

Washington state climate change bill signed into law

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In today’s economy, retailers and their service contractors face a tough challenge. They must find ways to spend their energy dollars wisely while keeping the store customers happy. It’s not an easy talk, but fortunately there are seven strategies that retailers and contractors can use to stretch the energy budget and keep the all-important retail customer coming back.

The strategies include: designing for energy efficiency in the first place; upgrading for increased energy efficiency as equipment ages and becomes inefficient; using an energy management sytem to identify energy savings opportunities; use energy savings strategies such as load shedding; measure usage regularly to look for potential improvements; know the supply side by being smart with energy purchase decisions and checking bills; and sustain the effort on a long-term basis.

By using these seven strategies, retailers and their contractors can reduce energy usage and save money, without losing customers.

7 Key Energy Management Strategies for Stores

(Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

Most companies know that refrigerant gas leaks cost money, but not all of them have a handle on the true short- and long-term costs. Fortunately, there are a couple of user-friendly online calculators available at not cost to assist in the number crunching exercise.

To start with, carbon emissions calculator for The Real Zero campaign, which was developed for the Institute of Refrigeration, helps identify such factors as the cost of replacement refrigerant, technician time to repair the system and materials and considers downtime costs.

Taking it a step further means you have to look at associated costs when a leak occurs, as well as the value of stock that must be sold to recoup the cost of replacing the leaked refrigerant gas.

To help with these calculations, refer to the U.S. EPA’s Greenchill Financial Impact Calculator. Using these calculators requires a little time and effort but it’s sure to pay off in cost savings.

Calculating the cost savings for refrigerant gas leak detection

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Saving money on energy requires different procedures. To save money on energy one can schedule a programmable thermostat installation.

About $200 can be saved a year by following ENERGY star guidelines for programmable thermostat use.

There are several steps in doing so. A programmable thermostat gives you the ability to adjust the times your air conditioner turns on or off according to a pre-set schedule.

Save Money with a Programmable Thermostat