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Best Practice Guide |
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Food and Beverage Growers and Processors |
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Planning an Energy ProgramEnergy Policy
Adopting an energy policy ensures that energy management becomes part of a company's broader business plan. Because it clearly defines goals and objectives as well as executive expectations in terms of financial investment and bottom-line results, an energy policy is critical for guiding energy management planning and action. Goals describe the broad intentions of an energy policy. Energy-specific goals usually include commitments to improve the energy efficiency of facility operations and equipment, reduce peak energy demand, and lower energy costs. Beyond these, businesses can also include non-energy related goals as part of the energy policy. These secondary goals might include:
Objectives flow from the goals, setting quantitative, measurable tasks. Objectives are especially useful to verify the results of an energy program. Write objectives into contractual agreements so that contractors and vendors are clear about company energy goals and are held accountable for their work. Objectives can also serve as the basis for a more detailed measurement and verification (M&V) plan. The following is a list of areas addressable by energy policy objectives and an example of each:
In December 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger set clear energy efficiency goals for state and commercial buildings in the Green Buildings Executive Order S-20-04. These goals include a mandate to improve energy efficiency in existing state buildings by 10 percent per square foot by 2010 and by 20 percent by 2015 as compared to a 2003 baseline. Commercial building owners are encouraged to align company energy policy with the Green Building Initiative, as EO S-20-04 is commonly called. Appendix 3 contains a sample energy policy based on the Governor's green building goals. Goals, Objectives, and M&V
Business ExamplesFetzer Vineyard adopted sustainable business practices as early as the mid-1980s. By 1998, Fetzer had firmly established a triple bottom line: economic vitality, environmental responsibility, and social equity. More recently, Fetzer announced that by 2010 it would only purchase organic grapes (Fetzer's own acreage is already organic). From 1999 to 2004, Fetzer's efforts have saved roughly 1 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. Fetzer has also reduced water consumption over the same time period by 24 percent or 6.6 million gallons, and has reduced waste to landfills by 95 percent. At S. Martinelli and Company, key company leaders, like fourth generation Vice President John Martinelli, make a priority of sustainable practices and environmentally sensitive production. Energy efficiency plays a large role in Martinelli's sustainable practices, as well as impacting bottom-line results - with looming energy costs of 7 to 8 percent of operating expenditures, the company continually analyzes how much electricity and natural gas it takes to produce a gallon of apple juice.
Resources Energy Design Resources Charette is an online tool that allows you to quickly investigate the energy impacts of various design scenarios on a typical building, and then review the analysis graphically in a web-based format. Scottish Energy Efficiency Office. Energy Policy webpage. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR, Guidelines for Energy Management. BPG Appendix 3: Sample Company Energy Policy (PDF download, 60KB) |