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Energy Saving Tips for Businesses

ENERGY STAR®, a program of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), offers a variety of resources and services to help Americans improve energy efficiency and save money on energy bills. In addition to certifying energy efficient products, homes, and commercial buildings, ENERGY STAR also offers tools and resources to help businesses manage their energy use in a cost-effective way:

  • Click here for ENERGY STAR’s low- and no-cost energy efficiency measures for commercial buildings and plants.
  • Click here to learn about Portfolio Manager®, ENERGY STAR’s energy measurement and tracking tool for commercial buildings.
  • Click here for more commercial resources from ENERGY STAR.

The US Department of Energy also offers energy saving resources to residents and businesses. Click here to access their Energy Saver Guide.

Managing Demand to Save Money

RMLD uses two components to bill its commercial customers: demand, which is measured in kilowatts, and energy, which is measured in kilowatt-hours. In addition to increasing energy efficiency and decreasing overall energy consumption as means to save money, RMLD commercial customers can also reduce their bill by decreasing their demand.

Demand is a measure of the rate of energy used by electrical equipment during a specific period of time. The rate of energy used is based on the number and size of electrical equipment being used simultaneously. Demand is billed based on the highest quantity of kilowatts registered by the meter in any 15-minute interval during the billing cycle, but not less than eighty percent of the maximum demand established during the preceding summer season (June through September) or sixty percent of the maximum demand established during the winter season (October through May). Therefore, commercial customers can decrease the demand charge portion of their bill by spreading electricity usage out rather than using large quantities within a confined timeframe. 

Time-of-Use Rate

In addition to its standard commercial billing rate, RMLD also offers an industrial Time-of-Use (TOU) rate. TOU consists of an on-peak rate, when the demand for electricity from RMLD’s system is high, and an off-peak rate, when demand for electricity from RMLD’s system is low. Businesses that run a three-shift operation or have a steady load throughout the day may benefit from switching to the TOU Rate.

The on-peak rate applies between the hours of 12:00 P.M. (noon) and 7:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The off-peak rate applies to all other hours. Demand is measured during on-peak periods only.

Please contact RMLD at 781-942-6598 or energyrmld@rmld.com to determine whether switching to TOU will benefit your business.