Small shops and large corporations share a common principle: they can both save money by understanding their energy use. But why should energy consumption matter for business owners? Establishing consistent energy-saving practices contribute to environmental savings – and can help a bottom line.

During National Energy Awareness Month, I&M reminds business owners that energy efficiency is not designated for residential customers alone. In fact, since 2012, businesses have helped save over 1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) through I&M energy programs and practices - enough to power over 88,000 typical homes for an entire year. Savings like those don’t happen without proper awareness and management.

Energy Management tools provide business owners access to manage, track and optimize energy use with information provided by a Smart Meter. With these tools from I&M, analyzing energy costs and usage trends in both dollars and kWh can be done with ease. Business owners can also compare billing trends from previous months or years and view an energy consumption heat map to identify abnormal energy patterns.

I&M also provides personalized energy-saving tips for additional ways to save. Tips, like the ones below, can be simple steps to make a big difference:

• Install occupant sensors to automatically turn lights on and off. These sensors detect motion to determine when lights are needed in a room.
• Activate sleep settings on printers, fax machines, scanners and copiers. This setting will automatically prompt a low-power sleep mode when electronics are inactive.
• Adjust thermostat in the evenings or other times when the building isn’t occupied. Keeping heat or air on for an empty space can use significant energy and does not benefit employees in the off hours.
• Prioritize regular maintenance and inspection of equipment. Improve operations by checking equipment to ensure it is functioning efficiently. Schedule regular professional maintenance and visually check for damage, tears and stains.

For additional energy-saving tips, head to ElectricIdeas.com/Work to find products, rebates and discounts. Stay current on energy-saving ideas with I&M’s Energy Solutions Newsletter. Sign up to receive this monthly communication straight to your inbox and start saving today.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kara Stevenson 
Corporate Communications 
260-446-5102
klstevenson@aep.com