City Light has $5 million to help businesses increase their efficiency

Savings from Energy Efficiency Can Make Big Difference in Sluggish Economy

As a sluggish economy grinds along, many businesses that have been monitoring investments closely should take another look at energy efficiency opportunities.

Seattle City Light still has $5 million available to help companies that want to reduce their electricity consumption with efficiency projects they install this year.

“Helping businesses use less electricity to meet their needs, lowers their operating costs and reduces the pressure on Seattle City Light to acquire additional energy resources to meet growing demand,” Conservation Resources Director Glenn Atwood said. “Being more effective with the energy we have is not only good for the environment, it’s more affordable for the utility and its customer-owners too.”

Seattle City Light has energy efficiency incentives for large and small businesses. For medium to large projects, incentives average $22,000. That up-front savings can dramatically shorten the payback time from the energy savings the business will achieve for years to come.

Even small projects can make a big difference.

In Burien, Car Club retrofitted the lighting in its car lot, sales office and detail shop with the help of about $17,000 in incentives from City Light. Those changes cut the auto dealership’s electricity bills in half.

"In this tough economy I had a hard time spending money on a lighting upgrade for our Burien store, but am really jazzed that I did because I am now saving 50 percent on our energy bill," Owner Darren "Buddy" Ryan said.

With winter right around the corner, energy use for heating and lighting is rising. That makes it a good time to improve the efficiency of buildings and equipment. City Light Conservation Resources staff are available to help businesses identify savings opportunities and get those changes made quickly.

An Energy Advisor can help businesses determine if they are eligible for incentives and analysts can estimate what those incentives might be. Contact an Energy Advisor at (206) 684-3800.

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.