Everybody's buzzing about energy changes.

It seems that lately, everywhere you turn, people are talking about the pending deregulation of the electric utility industry. Similar to the commotion caused by the government's legislation on telecommunications monopolies, the changes that are about to happen within the energy industry are causing quite a public stir. This is especially true for residential and commercial building managers and owners who, as decision makers for their properties, are both relieved and nervous about the prospects of deregulation.

Building owners and managers, fearing the inevitable onslaught of new energy providers coming out of the woodwork, realize the need to have a firm grasp of their current energy consumption in order to decipher future energy needs. Yet in many cases, managers and owners are not as aware about their buildings' energy use as they could be - if the building is wasting costly kilowatts, or even using the energy consumed as efficiently as possible. This will be particularly important because new electric pricing structures are expected to result in more costly electricity during the hours of highest demand.

One way to learn more about your buildings's energy consumption, and secure cost-effective usage of energy in the future, is to hire an energy efficiency service provider now, before the circus begins.

Energy efficiency service providers, like Enersave, develop cost-effective methods for increasing the efficiency of energy utilization. From installing a new chiller plant, to designing and implementing customized lighting efficiency programs, our goal is to reduce cost, and the total amount of energy a building uses per year.

In most cases after hiring an energy efficiency service provider, building owners receive a return on their efficiency investment from 25 percent to over 50 percent per year or increased cash-flow if Enersave finances the entire investment.

New York City office buildings face the greatest challenge, as they consume very large quantities of energy during highest cost hours. This is mostly due to the fact that New York City's stock of office buildings is the oldest in the United States - more than 85 percent of all properties were built prior to 1980. This "elderly" stature translates into some very great challenges for owners and managers with regard to energy management.

Old building systems (from the late 1970s and before) are not efficient by today's standards, and combined with increasing tenant electric requirements, can tax building electric services. A comprehensive energy efficiency program often frees up enough electric service to meet increased tenant electric requirements.

Many owners and managers are aware of the problems, but take the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach, delaying upgrades to their ailing systems. The common result is that a lot of money is wasted on building energy costs and maintenance, and crisis situations arise when the equipment reaches the sudden end of its useful life.

Those owners and managers who decide to invest in new equipment have to determine exactly which equipment to replace and what to install in its place. Keeping up to speed on developments in high efficiency lighting, air conditioning and electric systems (including hundreds of different options for motors, fixtures, fans, chillers and variable speed drives) is a full-time job. A professional energy performance contractor can provide the answers, develop the projects, finance them and verify utility cost savings through submetering of the affected systems.

There are a number of innovative and cost-effective energy management solutions. The returns on installing high efficiency lighting equipment in existing fixtures and variable frequency drives (VFDS) on fan and pump motors are extremely high - generally returning their costs in about three years based on utility bill savings. We also find that many buildings have pneumatic controls for heating, ventilation and HVAC systems, which can be replaced with direct digital controls, which provide the highest level of precision and maximize energy efficiency.

Another innovation is the development of advanced dimming florescent lighting systems, which allow office occupants to dim/-control lighting to as low as 10 percent of full output for enhanced comfort in viewing computer screens. We recently installed such a system in over 400 corporate offices at Home Box Office, and found that occupants chose to maintain lighting at between 25-50 percent of full output. This translates into savings of 70 percent on electric costs for lighting alone.

In terms of cost savings, it's important to note that the single biggest tenant complaint relates to comfort conditions in a property. When an owner or manager installs a system to improve comfort conditions like providing advanced controls for air conditioning or heating, or more comfortable and controllable lighting systems, the financial benefits related to increased tenant satisfaction (and tenant retention) is immeasurable.

During the next couple of years, the deregulation of energy providers will force owners and managers to take a good look at their existing systems and overall energy usage. There are many ways a building can dramatically reduce energy costs, but the first step in savings is to review current conditions and develop a menu of energy efficiency options.