by Shane Henson — June 6, 2012—Through an Energy Savings Calculator offered by One Stop Green, a provider of energy-efficient products and services, facilities managers can easily learn about simple steps they can take to improve their buildings’ overall energy consumption while saving money. The innovative new tool estimates potential solar, water, lighting and wind resources in an area, as well as estimated annual energy and monetary savings for any business or home.
The Energy Savings Calculator works by taking a user’s location, plus data on sunlight, rainfall, and wind speed, to calculate how much energy a user can generate from renewable resources. By putting in the average monthly electricity use, desired efficiency, and the cost of the electric bill for a business or home, the Energy Savings Calculator will display any expected annual savings. The lighting portion of the Energy Savings Calculator can display how much energy can be saved by switching from incandescent bulbs to more energy-efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs. The wind calculator will estimate the ability to produce power via wind by using the location’s wind speed and desired efficiency. Finally, the water savings calculator will calculate the potential to harvest rainwater by using historical data such as inches of rainwater fall for a location.
One Stop Green says that once users have completed these various Energy Calculators, they will have a better idea of the cost and savings associated with each solution. After estimating the potential for solar, wind, water, and lighting options, users can then create a project profile with One Stop Green, where the project profile asks questions about the property and outlines what the goals are. Climate data and other inputted information is displayed on the Green Project Page. Users who save their profiles are easily able to download templates, budget sheets, and other tools and resources, and even schedule an energy audit or ask a One Stop Green expert should they have any questions—all for free.
