Energy Consumption
• The energy costs of individual small businesses vary greatly. Ten (10) percent of small employers claim that energy costs are the largest single cost they have while 8 percent claim that they have no direct energy expenses.
• Small-business energy costs (closely related to consumption) are primarily linked to vehicles (38%), heating and cooling of occupied space (33%), operating equipment or processes (21%) and lighting (6%).
• Of the 84 percent who use vehicles in their business operations, 49 percent did not change much of anything in the last year to counteract the higher price of gasoline and/or diesel. The most frequent step for those who did was: 18 percent rescheduled or changed routing; 16 percent used fewer vehicles or used them less frequently; and 11 percent purchased or leased more energy efficient vehicles.
• Fifty-seven (57) percent own the building in which their business is primarily located. Seventy-one (71) percent of those who lease directly pay the heating and cooling bill, meaning that between 85 and 90 percent have an immediate incentive to reduce energy costs in the space they occupy.
• One in five (20%) of those who directly pay heating and/or cooling bills remodeled their building or substantial parts of it in the last three years in a way that achieves notable energy cost savings, and a non-mutually exclusive 21 percent plan to do so in the coming three years.
• Eleven (11) percent of small businesses occupy space in addition to that in their primary location. Just over half (56%) occupy one facility; the remainder occupy more. About half own those locations. Twenty-four (24) percent lease them resulting in about 62 percent with a direct incentive to conserve in these structures.
• Fluorescent lighting is now the standard in small businesses. Seventy-three (73) percent use it; 65 percent in lamps and 8 percent in compact bulbs. Just 12 percent still employ incandescent lighting and 6 percent halogen.
• Two-thirds (67%) of small businesses have outdoor lighting. The primary purpose of outdoor lighting in over 80 percent of cases is safety and/or security. Most of the remainder use it primarily for advertising and/or awareness.
• Twenty-six (26) percent use equipment and/or processes that require large amounts of energy like ovens, refrigeration units, or drying machines.
• Within the last three years, 43 percent have taken steps to reduce the amount of energy their businesses consume. The most prominent steps were operational, such as changing to more efficient lighting, changing the thermostat, rearranging or rescheduling processes, and switching-off lights or equipment when not in use. The most frequent investments were new and more energy-efficient equipment, adding insulation, new windows and/or doors, and installed/improved heat recycling systems. Just 27 percent of those who had taken at least one step could name a second step they had taken.
