Trends, Reports & Analyses
Energy Managers Share Concerns
Get 15 corporate energy managers in a room and you can guarantee a lively discussion on the energy issues of the day. That’s just what happened at this fall’s meeting of the Touchstone Energy® Business Advisory Council.
A solar installation at a Cox facility in Georgia. The company’s assistant vice president for energy and engineering is on the Touchstone Energy Business Advisory Council. (Photo By: Cox)
One hot topic was what members consider to be the most promising energy management strategies. Many said it’s become important to have everyone at their company involved in energy matters.
“At Cox we call that ‘employee engagement from the basement to the boardroom,’” said Keith Mask, assistant vice president for energy and engineering at Cox Enterprises, and a council member. “Energy management is no longer owned by the energy manager.”
Mask said it’s not a question of carrying energy procurement down to the lowest level. Rather, it’s an issue of “involving the lowest level in the company in how we use energy.”
LED lighting is another promising energy strategy.
“Accent lighting has definitely moved to the mainstream. We’re seeing LEDs in a lot of conference rooms,” Mask said during a Dec. 6 webinar. “And we’re starting to see LEDs in the outdoor lighting arena that have some really good potential.”
Council members also discussed some of the common questions they get from senior company leaders. Mask said that many of those questions are along the lines of, “What’s the payback on that?” or “What’s the internal rate of return?”
“Energy managers have come to realize very quickly that we’re not only energy managers but we also have to become financial wizards,” he said.
The council also discussed emerging issues, and many cited the impact of increased regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I think that one is something that scares all of us to death,” Mask said. “It’s something we feel like is totally out of our control.”