Over this past summer SCOCO worked with local agencies to conduct a multifaceted outreach program intended to acquaint Contra Costa small businesses with the advantages of, and opportunities to, improve their energy efficiency. The outreach effort was sponsored by East Bay Energy Watch (EBEW), which is a partnership of local governments in Alameda and Contra Costa counties that implements energy efficiency programs for municipalities, homes, businesses, and nonprofits. The Contra Costa County Department of Conservation contributed to the outreach effort by mailing energy efficiency information to a large number of small businesses in the County. SCOCO’s role was to inform and educate businesses about the options available to them to reduce their energy footprints, by taking advantage of free energy assessments and rebates being offered through EBEW’s SmartLights and BEST programs.
EBEW’s SmartLights and BEST programs are designed to make it easy for businesses to save money by becoming more energy efficient. The first step is to sign up for a no-obligation energy assessment. The assessments, conducted by knowledgeable program contractors, look at the ways energy can be saved by modifying or retrofitting lighting systems, refrigeration units, and/or changing out other electrical appliances. The resulting assessment report outlines recommended changes, and quantifies the anticipated energy savings and the costs involved (both labor and materials) to make the changes identified. In addition, the assessment specifies the rebate amount the business will receive if the changes are made. In most cases, 50 to 75% of costs are offset by rebates; in some cases rebates will cover as much as 100% of the costs involved.
In what proved to be an extremely effective means of outreach, between July and September SCOCO volunteers went door-to-door, visiting 366 small businesses in communities throughout the County and forwarding 49 assessment requests to EBEW – a response rate notably above that achieved via mass mailings, social media and other less personal outreach methods.
Overall, approaching businesses individually – speaking to business owners one-on-one, taking the time to explain the benefits of EBEW’s programs and answering questions – makes a difference in the response. More importantly, SCOCO’s volunteers were able to resolve concerns unique to individual owners. Several businesses signed up for assessments because SCOCO’s volunteer was fluent in the owner’s native language. Other times, businesses signed up because a volunteer went the extra mile, revisiting or following up with a business where there was an initial expression of interest.
A small beauty salon in Concord illustrates how SCOCO’s volunteer outreach efforts mesh with EBEW’s SmartLights program and how EBEW’s programs benefit typical small, non-energy-intensive retail businesses. Located on Monument Boulevard, an assessment of the salon’s premises had been completed prior to a SCOCO volunteer visiting the business, but the owner had not decided to proceed because questions remained regarding the implementation process and responsibility for costs. SCOCO’s volunteer served as the facilitator in getting answers to the owner’s questions, after which the owner made the decision to proceed. In this case, while total project costs were relatively small, the combination of rebates and savings from reduced energy use made a compelling business case:
Total cost to retrofit: $1,400
Rebate: $899 (64%)
Out-of-Pocket: $501
Savings: $50/mo
Energy Savings: 3,338 kWh/yr
Power Reduction: 1.120 kW
CO2 Reduction: 1,810 lbs/yr
Payback: 0.8 years
ROI: 125%
More generally, out of 31 small businesses SCOCO’s volunteers signed up for assessments under EBEW’s SmartLights program, 22 audits have been conducted to date, and two of the businesses have agreed to proceed with retrofits (the remaining audits are still pending). Similar to the salon described above, total retrofit costs for these types of small retail businesses have been between $1,000 and $1,500, with 60% to 75% of the cost covered by rebates. Projected energy savings in these cases are typically in excess of 2,000 kWh/yr and payback on the business’s out-of-pocket costs is achieved in less than a year..
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