Aging Equipment: How it’s Costing Your Business

Article by Constellation

Is every piece of equipment at your offices or factories as efficient and effective as it could be?

For many businesses, the answer is often no. Why? Executives and managers are busy running the companies. They’re often not familiar with the innovations that could be used to make efficiency improvements — and don’t typically have the time to do the kind of research that’s involved with large-scale improvements or the funding needed for a modernization project.

What companies fail to realize, however, is that it’s often more expensive to continue working with the same inefficient, wasteful gear. Companies that make efficiency upgrades now can benefit in the long run by avoiding unpredictable repairs and high energy consumption — and instead, minimize risk and increase budget predictability.

For example, consider two of the many systems and pieces of equipment businesses of all types rely on: lighting and HVAC. By installing LED lights, companies can improve brightness in their facilities, contributing directly to greater safety and productivity, while using less power. By transitioning to more modern HVAC systems, companies can create more comfortable climates for employees and customers, while – again – using less energy.

Energy efficiency initiatives, such as equipment upgrades, can provide key benefits that would be available to you and your employees immediately:

• reduced consumption and an improved load profile
• improved production and greater output
• upgraded equipment meets OSHA or EPA standards, improving workplace health and safety

Examples of equipment upgrades might include:

• electric forklifts and charging stations
• replacement of pneumatic sand conveyors with belt or bucket conveyors
• high-efficiency, variable speed motors
• installation of monitors and power load-shedding software on electric induction furnaces
• replace lower-efficiency lighting and implement automatic lighting controls

Don’t let the upfront costs of energy efficient devices fool you. You’ll more than recoup your costs in the long run with better equipment as opposed to letting old, inefficient devices continue to silently eat away at your budget. From long-lasting light bulbs to more efficient components for your heavy machinery, almost every plugged-in device represents an opportunity to save.

If you and your company are interested in implementing and funding energy conservation measures and efficiency upgrades with no upfront capital, a program like Constellation’s Efficiency Made Easy or “Equipment Made Easy” (EME) solution might be the right one for you.