- 11 January, 2006 -

Heating bills spiked this winter as the nation wrestled with unprecedented natural gas shortages. While we're not sure when and if energy and heating cost relief will occur, experts agree that there are steps that can help rein in costs for managers of commercial buildings. "A lot of what needs to be done is easy. Little steps will save big dollars," says Michael McNinch, president of Maintenance Made Simple, a home repair and remodeling business based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Maintenance Matters "The first step is keeping hot air in and cold air out," McNinch says. This means caulking gaps around windows, adding weather stripping to door bottoms, and insulating around electrical outlets. Wherever you feel cold air, find the source and seal it, McNinch says. This gets as basic as walking around and holding a hand near windows. If you feel a draft, squeeze a bead of caulk. A few hours of uncomplicated labor ought to shave many dollars off seasonal heating bills, he says. Also check the ductwork for leaks. Apply duct tape on leaky joints and that will help keep warm air directed where it is supposed to go. In many buildings, leaky ducts are a prime culprit when it comes to heat loss and tape is a swift remedy. Next step is revisiting insulation, says Robin Bectel, spokesperson for the Alexandria, Va.-based North American Insulation Manufacturers Association. With rising heating bills, more building owners and managers are looking hard at their present insulation, Bectel says, "because they have to stay competitive with rents and improved insulation usually will lower heating bills." The one place to look most closely in commercial buildings is under the roof, Bectel says. Usually this is a crawl space or attic and putting in more insulation will result in less energy loss. Heat rises and insulation below the roof does double-duty of keeping hot air in and cold air out. Use this work as an opportunity to check the roof for missing shingles or tiles, too. A few dollars spent on roof repairs can not only make a roof more water tight but it will cut energy costs, too. Quick, substantial savings can come when programmable thermostats are installed, McNinch says. Energy use often can be slashed by approximately 10 percent or more by lowering nighttime temperatures in hallways to 60 degrees. Programmable thermostats that automatically reset temperatures to suit the hour of the day and the day of the week are an increasingly popular way to lower costs. Blaine Fox, general manager of West Chester, Pa.-based HVAC company ServiceMark, suggests replacing a furnace, particularly if it is older than 15 years and repair calls have become common. "If it's breaking down frequently, invest in a new one," Fox says. The big plus: New units are dramatically more efficient, and that translates into getting more heat out of a unit of energy. A last step: Review the heating bills as they come in, says Gerrit Reinders, director of sustainable energy solutions with Johnson Controls, a Milwaukee-based facility management firm. "About 1 percent of bills have significant errors," he says. A common mistake is that the utility charges the wrong rate, but there are other ways utility bills can and do go wrong, Reinders says. Look particularly at patterns of usage. If the utility reports significantly higher usage than historic trends, ask questions.

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