INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Central Indiana is a growing area for businesses and business expansion. But many local companies aren’t taking advantage of a few key ways to stretch their business dollars.
“We have 23 million square feet of building and building space that we manage here in the state of Indiana,” said Hitesh Patel, VP of project management at Colliers International.
That’s equivalent to almost 10 thousand homes, although Colliers specializes in industrial space. They buy and sell real estate and often manage all the trades associated with a business. And that’s where the money savings comes in, making your business more energy efficient.
“In many instances what we found is the government programs will actually pay you as the owner. You do have an upfront cost to change things out. But by the time the rebates and things come back, you are actually making money,” said Patel.
The people at Colliers often work with Open Control Systems to monitor companies’ HVAC and electrical efficiency, among other things. They also change out systems, from lighting to air conditioning and heating. They tell FOX59 they typically save a business 20 percent but sometimes as much as 50%.
“It’s great for consumers because a facility is a big percentage of anybody’s operating cost, so anything we can do to help drive peoples cost down ultimately helps drive that retail price down of whatever they provide,” said Travis Ihnen, president of Open Control Systems.
If you’re considering buying a business or making your business more efficient, changes can be as small as more efficient lighting to as big as massive HVAC systems to.
Another key if you’ve got a business is not just about putting in a new system or revamping an existing one, but managing the system off site with computers and analytic devices, as they do at Open Control.
“We’re looking at ways that people are using energy that they may not even know about. So maybe they are simultaneously heating and cooling, when really they can just be doing one or the other and so they’re spending money doing both,” said Ihnen.
Open Control Systems and Colliers say their clients can see a quick payback on their investments!
“Usually the savings happen in under a year. And the reduction in savings is typically 30% per year in energy, depending on the size of the business,” said Audrey Lawson, senior property manager at Colliers.
Whether you go with a management company or track all the trades yourself with your own business, don’t forget there are often rebates from companies like Duke, Vectren, and IPL. But many of those rebates are constantly changing and they often go unclaimed. Many companies that manage a building will constantly monitor what’s being offered to give their client the most bang for their buck.
