Services
At Financial Energy we provide a variety of energy efficiency services
including energy audits, energy efficient retrofit construction, efficient
lighting design, and window solar film installation. Equipped with this
in-house capability and expertise, we can implement a cost effective, energy
efficient solution customized for your facility.
Financial Energy is a comprehensive independent service provider, making
us both unique and dynamic. We are not connected with any manufacturer or
product line, which allows us to remain impartial in our evaluations and
we’re able to recommend the optimum solution for your business. We also
maintain our own specialized staff and crew of experienced electricians and
engineers. Having our own crews allows us to control quality, production,
safety, and scheduling. We manage your project every step of the way from
design and financing to installation, making the process as simple and
convenient for you as possible.
Energy Audits
The
first step to the process is a no-cost, preliminary energy audit, which
involves a walk-through of your building(s) to get a sense of the
opportunities available for improved energy efficiency. These are then
presented in a proposal along with the return and paybacks typically
associated with each opportunity. The second step is a contract for a
comprehensive energy audit for a fixed fee. This careful study will identify
the exact strategy for energy improvements along with the costs and savings
associated with them. If Financial Energy constructs the project, the cost
of the audit is prorated as a credit against the installed cost.
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Efficient and Improved Lighting Design
Lighting
often represents the greatest energy saving opportunity in a building and is
a specialty of Financial Energy. Depending on the age and current lighting
technology installed in your building, Financial Energy can design solutions
that yield better visual acuity, control, and functionality. New
technologies including solid state lighting (LED’s), daylight harvesting,
and vacancy controls can save significant energy expense and also present
opportunities to improve the quality of lighting and the productivity of
work spaces.
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State-of-the-Art Retrofits and Lighting Controls
Many
efficient lighting technologies can achieve greater savings by incorporating
lighting controls. Occupancy/vacancy sensors control lighting on a
room-by-room basis giving granular control and eliminating energy waste in
all vacant areas. On average, occupancy sensors can add additional savings
of 30-35%.
Photo-controls are used to “harvest” natural daylight- dimming or turning
lights off when the room has sufficient daylight. Dimming photo-controls can
reduce energy use by 70%. The most savings occur as these different
systems are integrated and work together. *
In one project we installed photocells, dimming ballasts, and occupancy
sensors in a gymnasium with multiple basketball courts and an upstairs track
above them. Photocells and dimming ballasts were used along the track near
the windows and occupancy sensors were used on each basketball court. With
this system a person could run on the track without turning on the court
lights or alternately a group could be playing basketball on one court
without turning on the lights for the track or the other courts. Most
importantly this was all automated so after the installation energy savings
became effortless.
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Window Film (Solar and Safety Film)
Window
films or “solar film” provide energy saving by reducing heat flow out and
limiting solar energy gained through windows. During the summer, solar film
will reflect sunlight and heat, reducing air conditioning cost, while in the
winter low emissivity films will act as insulation trapping heat inside,
reducing heating costs. The ultra violet protection of the film extends the
life of furniture and fabrics and reduced glare improves visual comfort.
Solar films come in a variety of colors, including bronze and blue tones, so
the films can improve the aesthetics of your building, enhancing its
appearance and value.
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Water Conservation Design and Upgrade
Installation
Water is becoming an increasingly scarce and expensive commodity,
especially in the arid West. With annual natural disasters such as wild
fires and drought, combined with the growing global population and its
demand for water, this precious resource will only become more valued and
more costly in the future. Financial Energy can examine your water usages
and identify opportunities for conservation, most of which pay for
themselves within a few years.
Opportunities for water saving installations include low volume toilets,
low volume showerheads, aerators, irrigation opportunities, and cooling
towers.
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Energy Use Metering
The
first step towards energy savings is identifying where it is used. Financial
Energy can install temporary electricity meters to perform a utility use
analysis of your facility. We will analyze how much energy equipment is
using and when your consumption is the highest. Armed with this information
we can help manage your energy consumption and peak load.
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HVAC Controls and Demand Management
Heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment typically are the
greatest energy users in your building. A Financial Energy study will
analyze the energy consumption of your HVAC equipment. Properly controlling
the operation of this equipment presents a very cost effective tool to
reduce energy consumption. Maintaining close control of the operating
schedules and limiting coincident operation to reduce demand can decrease
both the kWh consumption and the peak kW demand.
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Utility Company Energy Efficiency Program Administration – Direct Install
Energy
conservation and demand control programs are often used by utilities to
reduce stress on electric grids and to limit expensive spot market purchases
of power during critical peak times. Utility companies will often subsidize
the cost of installing new energy efficient equipment for small and medium
sized businesses, as the energy saved is a lower cost alternative to
generation. Free programs, sometimes referred to as Direct Install (DI)
programs are used to implement energy conservation quickly at “hard to
reach” customer facilities. Financial Energy specializes in managing and
implementing DI programs and currently operates one of the largest such
programs in the United States for the Southern California Edison Co (SCE).
The SCE DI program is run by our California subsidiary- FESS Energy, Inc.
In this program, FESS Energy educates consumers about energy efficiency and
new technologies, performs lighting and refrigeration audits, orders and
installs new technologies, and inspects 100% of the installations ensuring
customer satisfaction. Financial Energy and FESS Energy proficiently run
utility conservation programs which generate significant energy savings at
low avoided $/kWh.
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