A Guide to Energy Use Disclosure Programs

Faced with the biggest economic obstacle of the decade, businesses were left with no choice but to look for strategies that will successfully drive ‘Savings and Sustainability In Challenging Times’. Of the many strategies out there, maximizing savings and becoming more energy efficient are the schemes that most organizations have been turning to.

According to Neal Myrick of the Social Impact and Tableau Foundation, with the links between human and planetary health perfectly laid out by the ongoing crisis, over 63% of businesses will most likely hasten their formal resource and sustainability goals in the coming years. This follows the advice been given by the country’s top scientists and professors. Dr. Kyra Krakos who teaches Maryville University’s online sustainability degree program, emphasizes the importance of building an understanding of the complex dynamics between the natural world and our changing environment. More than just maximizing profitability, businesses should educate themselves on the benefits of lowering energy consumption in every aspect of their business. One of the best ways to do this is by following an energy use disclosure program. These programs require building owners to disclose their building’s energy consumption to relevant stakeholders. To help you understand them better, here are some things you should definitely take note of:

Why does disclosure matter?

Aside from helping business leaders in identifying which energy efficient upgrades would have the largest efficacy and should, therefore, be prioritized, energy use disclosure programs can also help them improve real-time energy management and better long-term planning. After all, disclosure programs drive greater transparency and awareness of building efficiency – both of which are critical in creating a tailored and effective plan of action for businesses.

Who benefits from disclosure?

Energy use disclosure programs are more than just tools that help businesses cut energy costs. An article by ACEEE detailed how they can also help policymakers access more data on the energy use of existing buildings, which can then inform future policy development. Such programs are also instrumental in helping local governments track progress in relation to meeting local climate and energy reduction goals.

How can disclosure drive energy efficiency?

In addition to all those mentioned above, C40 also explained how these programs can encourage government institutions to introduce incentives and provide support measures to buildings that are trying to become more energy efficient. With revenues and sales hitting record lows, and energy-efficient upgrades requiring a large sum of money most of the time, these incentives and support measures can certainly be a great help to businesses.

What are the tools and resources needed?

The practice of benchmarking energy use can seem like an overly intricate, difficult and daunting task. Fortunately, businesses can always turn to benchmarking tools that are readily available these days. While most of them are offered by private companies, some are offered by non-profit organizations or administered by state or local governments.

By simply abiding by energy use disclosure programs, you can ensure that your business is not only able to keep up with the times but is also a part of the solution to this all-encompassing global environmental problem.

Submitted by: Joie Bonnin

For: thgenergy.com

Image Credit: Unsplash