May 2011                                                                                            PSE.com/ForYourBusiness
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In This Issue
Powerful Business Conference
Cash Incentives to Phase Out T12 Lighting
Commercial Rebates for PC Power Management
Upcoming Events and Training

Spring is here and full of the possibility for change. There are reports of sunshine and promises of summer months to come. Many of us have even turned down the thermostat. Some of the most exciting changes in the energy world are to be found at this year's Powerful Business Conference in June, where energy experts from around the Puget Sound Region will gather to discuss "Opportunities You Can't Afford to Miss." Anyone who wants to learn more about energy management for their facilities will find this one-day conference packed full of useful information and provocative topics. And if you are staying home on June 8, you will miss out on a great event, but you don't have to miss out on energy savings - especially if you are still using inefficient T12 lamps to light your space. Now is the time to make the change. Keep reading to learn how PSE can help.

Join the Experts in Energy Efficiency for the Powerful Business Conference - June 2011 PBC brochure8, 2011 - Meydenbauer Center - Bellevue, WA 

  

A one-day event, the Powerful Business Conference offers practical energy solutions for facility professionals, and the consultants and contractors who support them. With programs on cutting-edge technology, you will learn about strategies to improve energy performance and to sustain operational cost savings.

 

This year's keynote speakers are Jason McLennan from the Cascadia Green Building Council and Josh Henretig, Director of Environmental Sustainability, Microsoft Corporation.

 

 

This year's five concurrent presentation tracks include:


The Money Side of Efficiency
Energy Management
Emerging Technologies and Trends
Energy Intensive Processes
Energy/Design Professionals


Attend all day for only $150 per person!  Price includes all sessions, morning and luncheon speakers, breakfast, lunch, closing reception, and tabletop exhibits. Registration is available now. This popular bi-annual event has previously drawn over 400 attendees in addition to exhibitors and sponsors.

 

Tabletop display opportunities are available for companies interested in showcasing products and services for $300 ($250 for Electric League and NEEC members) and include one complimentary attendee. For more information call 425-646-4727.

 

Register to Attend - Click the Blue "Register For This Event" Box Below 

 

 Register now button

 

 

PSE Encourages Business Customers to Take Advantage of
Cash Incentives to Phase Out T12 Lighting During 2011

 

Puget Sound Energy is encouraging business customers who are still using inefficient T12 fluorescent lighting to take advantage of 2011 rebates to upgrade to higher-efficiency T8 lighting. Changes in federal regulations expected during 2012 mean that rebates and grants to upgrade from T12 lighting will most likely be eliminated after this year.

 

The Bonneville Power Administration estimates that approximately 25 percent of the Northwest's commercial environments are still lit with inefficient T12 fluorescent lamps. When designed and installed correctly, energy-efficient lighting upgrades can result in significant energy and cost savings for businesses. 

 

Because lighting can make up 40 to 70 percent of a small business's energy use, upgrading to efficient lighting can be one of the quickest, cheapest and easiest ways for small businesses to save energy and money.

 

How do businesses know if they are still using T12 lighting? By the diameter of the lamp size; T12 lamps are 12/8or 1 1/2 inches in diameter while T8 lamps are 8/8 or one inch in diameter. Lamp size is also stamped at one end of the tube with "T12" or "T8" included in the code, you may see something like this F40T12CW/ES.

 

Though upgrading to energy-efficient lighting is easy, it isn't as simple as only changing out the lamp. When upgrading fixtures from T12 to T8, the fixture's ballast must also be replaced. Although an efficient T8 lamp installed into T12 ballasted fixture may illuminate, the quality of light output will be compromised as well as the expected lifespan of the lamp. Energy use may also increase if the installed lamp and ballast are not compatible.  

   

Small businesses (PSE's schedule 24 and schedule 8 electric customers) can receive funding for T12 to T8 conversions through PSE's small-business lighting program. Larger businesses and other nonresidential customers can receive funding through the utility's custom grant program.

For more information, visit PSE.com/ForYourBusiness or contact a PSE Energy Advisor at 1-800-562-1482.

 

 

Commercial Rebates for PC Power Management are Back in ActionPC monitor and keyboard

Power management features are standard on almost all personal computers used in offices, but are often not used. Activating these settings provides an easy opportunity to reduce energy usage, save money and help protect the environment.

 Puget Sound Energy is offering a rebate of $8 per workstation for installing software that controls the power management settings. For a business with 100 qualifying workstations, that amounts to $800!

To be eligible for the PSE PC Power Management rebate, applicants must purchase electricity from PSE at the site where the workstation is located. Laptops are not eligible and the software must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible for a rebate.  Check out the particulars on PSE.com  and follow the instructions under "How to Participate" to get your rebates.

Upcoming Events and Training:

 

Washington Society of Professional Engineers Conference - May 13

 

The Washington Society of Professional Engineers is holding a half day conference on Energy Efficiency focused on Washington State Employees.
The head of the Washington State Energy Office is the keynote speaker for
the event.

 

Date:           Friday, May 13, 2011

Time:          Noon to 5 p.m.

Location:   Red Lion Inn, Olympia

 

Click here for more information or to register.

 

 

Certified Energy Manager Course - May 23-27


The Columbia River Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers is hosting an "In-House" C.E.M. training program. The course will be taught by Timothy Janos, C.E.M., C.D.S.M., C.S.D.P., B.E.P, and Clint Christenson, Ph.D., C.E.M..

 

Date:         Monday, May 23 - Friday, May 27, 2011

Time:         8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday

   8 a.m. to noon Friday

Location:  National Electrical Contractors Association (IBEW-48) Schoolhouse

                   16021 NE Airport Way

                   Portland, OR, 97230

 

Industry professionals seeking to enhance their professional knowledge and have an interest in attending this C.E.M. training program, please register at www.aeecrc.org.   

 

If you have questions, please contact Marv Serhan, C.E.M., C.S.D.P. at
360-635-0304 or
[email protected] ; or Margaret Strong, C.E.M. [email protected]  

We hope that this issue has provided you with some ideas and resources to improve energy efficiency at your business. Let us know if you have ideas for future articles. Please look for our next issue in July 2011.

Thanks for using energy wisely,
Your energy specialists at Puget Sound Energy