Companies search for viable energy solutions.

With higher energy prices and the search for alternative sources of energy well underway, various entities, private and governmental, are trying to conserve energy, not only to help protect the world's resources--but also to help protect their budgets.

As real estate acquisitions start to creep up, many companies find themselves more cautious about the sources of energy they consume.

Jorge Lopez, a spokesman for Con Edison Solutions, said the amount of energy consumed by tenants is increasing.

"We've certainly seen an increase in usage as the market starts to build back up," Lopez said. But in the process, he added, companies are more cautious "to secure energy costs."

Lopez explained how Con edison Solutions works with customers on how to use energy more wisely, conducting energy efficiency studies and analyzing results. The company then recommends projects that will reduce a company's energy costs.

Because of recent high costs due to cold weather, many companies are seeking to fix their costs for the future, Lopez added.

"People are no longer betting the prices are going to go down," Lopez said. "The prices may stabilize or remain where they are for awhile." But Colleen Quinn, a spokeswoman for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said prices for home heating oil had dropped from last year, when the anticipated war in Iraq and the extremely cold weather sent prices soaring. "It was very cold last year for a longer period of time," Quinn said. "It didn't remain cold for a long period of time this year."

The average price for a gallon of home heating oil on March 29 was recorded at $1.693, compared to $1.744 a year earlier, according to data on NYSERDA's Web site.

But the agency is still keenly aware of the need for energy conservation programs. One of its more prominent initiatives, the Commercial Industrial Performance Program, involves paying energy contractors based on the efficiency of the systems they install.

"We pay the contractor based on performance of the project ... what the project provided for energy savings," Quinn said. The contractor can then, in turn, pass the savings on to their customers.

Another program, New York Energy Smart, involves helping businesses make more informed electrical decisions. Consumers are educated about cost-conscious decisions such as installing high-efficiency motors and LED exits signs. Meanwhile, some consumers are recognizing the long-term benefits of solar energy. The new Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site will, feature wind turbines atop the building to reduce dependence on consumable resources. The turbines are likely to produce about 20 percent of the building's energy.

Joel Gordes, executive vice president of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association, a private non-profit trade organization, said more companies are looking at solar energy as a viable alternative but are deterred by financial concerns.

"By some measures the cost of renewable energy is higher than fossil fuels, but then again, no one's had to go to war for solar energy, have they?" he said.

Gordes said most progress in advancing solar energy solutions has come from funds from individual states, not the federal government. Unlike in previous energy crunches, the state is including real estate professionals and bankers in its initiatives.

"They've made all their learning mistakes," Gordes said. "They are going at it in a method to build the infrastructure."