Energy efficiency boosts a business's bottom line by reducing energy bills, lowering maintenance costs, and attracting sustainability-oriented customers. More, targeted improvements, like heating system upgrades, can drastically reduce carbon emissions. Meeting Dane County's climate goal to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2050 depends on residents and businesses improving their energy use today. Learn more about what businesses can do to reduce their carbon footprints while saving money, attracting customers, and improving operational efficiency.
Looking to design a brand new energy efficient building? Getting started on a new building can feel daunting, but it doesn't have to be! Start by setting your goals and bringing in experts who can help.
Clarify what sustainability means for your project, set your goals, and convey that information to your contractors. Sustainability examples:
-Meeting a recognized performance standard, like Net Zero, Passive House, or LEED
-Use 25% less energy use than Wisconsin’s building code (compared to prior years or similar facilities)
-Reduce our energy bills by 30% by installing high-efficiency heating and cooling systems
-Reduce our environmental impact by conserving water and increasing recycled materials
OECC supports small businesses in Dane County that want to improve their operations. We strive to make overhauling an organization’s facilities less daunting. With our help you can cut operating costs, improve working conditions and win over your customers.We make it easy for you to understand incentives, funding resources, navigating contractors and more!
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Are you looking to make major changes to an existing building? A retrofit could be the best option if you have a specific area of a building you want to improve. Below are some considerations as you begin.
If you have an existing building, get professional help to assess your facility. Blower door tests can identify leaks that need to be air-sealed and solar analysis can calculate if your property has enough sun exposure to install rooftop solar panels.
Weatherization measures such as wall insulation, rim joist insulation, and air-sealing eliminate costly drafts. Save money and energy on utility bills without upgrading your HVAC system by ensuring the building envelope is well insulated against the elements. If moisture concerns are an issue, tackling the building envelope can also reduce the risk of mold and other unwanted water damage.
Consider the lifetime emissions, operating costs, and maintenance needs of traditional systems versus geothermal or air-source heat pumps. Always choose EnergyStar-rated or water-saving equipment when available. Even if investing in renewables isn’t in the near-term plan, it’s beneficial to plan ahead and have electrical systems be solar-ready.
Consider not just the first cost of the construction but also energy savings, maintenance costs, funding incentives, and incremental cost. Use Focus on Energy's New Construction Online Tool to learn how much money you could save.
Estimate your costs
PACE is a financing program in Wisconsin that allows small business owners to obtain low-cost, long-term loans for energy efficiency improvements. How long you plan on staying in the building factors into the timeframe for a return on investment.
Learn about PACE
If you are planning a new facility or a major retrofit, Focus on Energy has an Express Energy Design Assistance (eEDA) modeling tool that you can use. Take advantage of their design assistance and expertise in building science to ensure your project will achieve the sustainability goals you aim for.
Learn about eEDAEvery year we highlight organizations that are making strides towards sustainability in categories such as Building Design and Energy Use. This recognition can help you connect with other businesses across Dane County that are working on their climate goals and it's a visual indicator to your customers that you are comitted to sustainability.
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If you are looking for ways to save on your building's operational costs, consider weatherizing it and upgrading the mechanicals. This can range from having leaks in your building sealed to installing heat pumps for better air flow. Energy efficiency can start as a simple evaluation of the systems you have in place.
Weatherization is when you protect the interior of a building from any exterior weather events. This can also include making sure that your business is well-insulated and sealed from air leaks.
Insulation provides a thermal barrier inside the house so less heat is lost through the walls and roof. Properly insulating your home will decrease heat flow by providing an effective resistance to the flow of heat. An insulating material’s resistance to conductive heat flow is measured in terms of its thermal resistance or R-value. When the R-value is high, the insulation is more effective.
The average building has a variety of cracks and leaks that allow for air flow and opportunities for moisture to enter. Air sealing eliminates existing gaps by closing off leaks and drafts with caulking and weather stripping. Generally attics, basements, and crawl spaces offer the greatest chance to improve air sealing, though windows, doors, and heating ducts are also frequently leaky too.
Mechanicals are part of your building's operations because they are the systems that control air, energy, and water flow in a building. Having your building mechanicals as energy efficient as possible can contribute to lower energy bills and a healthier office.
A heat pump is a heating and cooling system for buildings and homes. Heat pumps work by moving heat from one place to another, which is more efficient than the way furnaces or boilers work. An air conditioner also moves heat so you can think of a heat pump as a two-way super-efficient air conditioner.
If you are purchasing new equipment, be sure to look for the ENERGYSTAR label. This symbol means that the appliance or electronic meets designated energy efficiency criteria. It can be as simple as replcaing your lightbulbs to be all LED, or for a thorough upgrade to a building automation system.
OECC supports small businesses and nonprofits in Dane County that want to improve their operations. We strive to make overhauling an organization’s facilities less daunting. With our help you can cut operating costs, improve working conditions and win over your customers. We make it easy for you to understand incentives, funding resources, navigating contractors and more!
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