TRSA Hosts Webinar on Managing Energy, Reducing Costs
TRSA recently held a webinar titled “Holistic Energy Management,” sponsored by APPI Energy. The webinar was hosted by Margo Madden, vice president of energy solutions at APPI Energy, and attended by roughly 50 executives in the linen, uniform and facility services industry.
The featured panelists on the hour-long webinar included Dan Forgacs, vice president, market intelligence & analytics at APPI Energy; Chris Fraga, founder & CEO at the Alternative Energy Development Group; Ed Kwasnick, director of business development at ARCO/Murray; and Ben Samways, executive vice president – energy efficiency at the Alternative Energy Development Group.
The first section of the webinar was titled, “Market Snapshot: What’s Happening in the Electricity and Natural Gas Markets.” This section started off with a poll asking attendees about their most pressing energy needs. The number one response was lower costs. The bulk of this section was spent identifying and describing the factors that drive the cost of energy up or down. For factors that drive up costs, Forgacs said that the earlier summer heat has been a short-term cause of rising costs, while liquified natural gas and the return of the economy are also causing energy costs to increase in the long term. Among factors that traditionally cause a drop in energy prices, Forgacs said that renewable energy has become much more efficient and therefore has helped decrease the cost of energy. Crude oil also is making a resurgence and has led to a decrease in energy prices.
The second section of the webinar was “Controlling Electricity and Natural Gas Costs,” which also started off with a poll for participants, regarding the demand charges related to energy costs. Forgacs and Samways took the lead discussing a number of key issues, including effective procurement strategies, demand management and improving energy efficiency. This section went over the use of energy by companies, as well as how to understand the ways in which your energy bill is constructed and how to lower your costs accordingly.
Fraga began the third portion of the webinar, titled, “Setting, Meeting and Exceeding Renewable Energy and Sustainability Goals.” The three primary points that this section focused on were strategic planning, renewable energy and on-site generation. Fraga noted that companies who are looking to use renewable energy must make a comprehensive plan with set goals. Also, Forgacs brought up how renewable sources of energy could save companies money as well as qualify them for government sustainability programs with tax breaks and other such incentives.
The last section was titled “Electrification of your Fleet” and focused on getting companies to convert their fleets of transport vehicles, at least partially, toward electric/energy efficient cars and trucks. Fraga spoke about how this can save companies tremendously on costs but also needs to be carefully examined, as you could save in one area, yet spend more money in another (such as the electric bill).
The webinar concluded with a substantial question-and-answer session led by Madden. Questions from attendees included an inquiry into the best options to use renewable energy on site and what the renewable energy industry learned from the Texas power outages this past winter.
TRSA offers more than 100 industry-specific programs that provide professional development and training on a range of issues, including regulatory/compliance matters, safety, best practices and strategies for enhancing productivity. Go to www.trsa.org/ondemand to visit TRSA’s On-Demand Learning Portal to view this webinar and more.