Education

Climate Change is Important to You and Your Business

When greenhouse gases (GHG) collect in the atmosphere they produce a gradual change in the Earth’s temperature. These gases absorb reflected infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface instead of letting it escape into space. The atmosphere envelops the planet and keeps it comfortably warm and inhabitable, but the delicately balanced temperature is changing. As greenhouse gases become more concentrated, the Earth’s temperature is now increasing at a rapidly escalating rate. Higher volumes of GHGs are already causing changes which will affect you, your employees, and your business in important ways.

Not all areas on the Earth are experiencing an increase in temperature as a result of increased greenhouse gases. Some areas may actually become colder, wetter, drier, or windier because of climate change. It has been proven that weather system pattern changes and severe storms are some of the results of this increase, and with the melting of the polar ice caps, it is predicted that the oceans will rise. The spread of disease and famine are likely, and potential permanent damage may be done to our ecosystems.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most significant of greenhouse gases, comprising about 83% of U. S. GHG emissions. These CO2 concentrations are 30% higher than those recorded in pre-industrial times. While naturally occurring and necessary for life, too much atmospheric carbon from the overuse of fossil fuels, deforestation, and neglect have left our ecosystem out of balance.

Greenhouse gases stay in our atmosphere for many years – even centuries from now we will still see the effect of our actions! Even if we were to start reducing our GHG output today, the CO2 levels in our atmosphere will continue to rise. We need to act now to reduce our carbon footprints.

Greenhouse Gases and your Carbon Footprint

The measure of our daily activities on the environment is called a carbon footprint. Heating or cooling a building, driving a vehicle, using plastic containers, using inefficient light bulbs – all of these use energy, and therefore cause the release of gases (directly or indirectly) into Earth’s atmosphere. CO2 makes up 83% of all activity emissions, and that’s why it is called a carbon footprint! This footprint is calculated as a measure of the greenhouse gases (GHG) which are generated. Direct GHG discharge is caused by your car exhaust or a barbecue grill. Indirect release can be caused by purchasing electricity from your utility company, where the discharge happens many miles from your place of business. All of these emissions have an adverse effect on our environment. Efficient Energy Advisors will measure all of your energy uses, calculate the equivalent GHG emissions, and thereby calculate your carbon footprint. This is the first step toward reducing your existing power consumption and saving you money.

Why Measure your Carbon Footprint?

There are many benefits to you:

• A professional record of your current energy consumption is called your baseline
• Knowing your baseline consumption is the first step in a plan to improve overall operational efficiency and inventory
• Simple improvements can bring real cost savings across many areas of your business
• Your company will be branded as a leader in undertaking energy efficiency initiatives
• Your company can be on the leading edge of positive change in your industry
• You can attract, motivate, and retain quality employees
• Your customers will identify you as innovative and green. New customers will be attracted because of your energy conservation initiatives
• The groundwork for future mandated GHG reporting will be completeYou can avoid future sanctions, fines and other possible liabilities
• You will be well-educated about your own energy efficiency

How Should I Start?

Efficient Energy Advisors will help you start the process, and we’ll stand beside you in the future. Using the highest professional principles and following the most recent and all-inclusive standards, we will measure and document your carbon footprint. Remember, our company is made up of scientists and engineers from many disciplines who have pooled their knowledge and research to complement our total approach. In this process you will come to know and respect our opinion and ability to help you move toward a more efficient future. After we have established your baseline, we will map out a plan for energy reduction and begin implementation. We can eliminate the frustration of wondering what to do next, because we are prepared, innovative, and excellent in the entire field of green energy proficiency.

Why Efficient Energy Advisors?

We have studied the best ways to accomplish energy efficiency, and we have developed unique, proprietary software and methodology which enables us to do our work quickly, efficiently, and transparently. Our reports and discussions will take complex concepts and information and distill them into knowledge that you can understand and use immediately. We will provide you with the data to back up our advice and conclusions if you need it later. Our advisors stay current with the latest government mandates so we can offer you the most current information and the most cost-effective methods possible to reduce your energy budget.