Energy Costs Are Rising in Scottsdale: what are YOU doing about it?

How many of the bills you pay every month to run your business in Scottsdale have increased substantially in the last 12 months? The last five years? Ten years?

What about your electricity bill?

Chances are, your power bill seems to get steeper every year, and there’s a reason for that: it has. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price per kilowatt hour (KWH) is the highest it’s ever been.

In June 2014, electricity costs throughout the nation increased to $0.143 per KWH. In June of 2013, the same amount of energy cost $0.137. This represents a 4.4% increase per KWH over last year. No matter what figure you look at from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, energy prices are going up. Even when economists adjust the numbers to a standard of 100, which allows analysts to account for a change of seasons, the numbers still increased by 14% between 2003 and 2013.

American energy bills have never been so high, and most business owners are feeling the squeeze. What can you cut back on? You can reduce your AC usage, but that’s not a viable solution when it’s blisteringly hot out there.  You also have safety standards to maintain that require lights bright enough to keep your employees and customers safe.

One alternative?  You could take advantage of existing technology that has the potential to cut your lighting bill by 50-80% over traditional lighting fixtures. If you consider the fact that lighting accounts for anywhere between 40-50% of your electricity costs each year, this type of savings could be massive.

We provide audits to businesses in Scottsdale which assess your current usage and then offer custom quotes that detail the costs to replace your existing fixtures with high quality, retrofitted LED fixtures, as well as the savings you would see. These LED products produce the same amount of bright, quality light – but only use about a quarter of the wattage. If you’re using less electricity straight out the fixture, then you’re already saving money. Also, they’re warranted for up to 100,000 hours of consistent coverage.

Pull out your last month’s electricity bill. Estimate that 40% of that represents nothing more than lighting. Of that 40%, reduce it by half if you’re conservative (or as much as 80%, if you’re a bit more liberal). What kind of savings would that represent for your company?

Additionally, local power companies often offer major rebates for using EnergyStar lighting fixtures.  Federal and local tax incentives could also come into play.

More than that, the fixtures pay for themselves within two years, and you get to continue reaping the financial rewards for decades afterwards.

Electricity costs will continue to rise; it’s inevitable. While you can’t change what the rates increase to, you can take steps now that will help safeguard your business against massive increases, which in the end, will help improve your bottom line.