New energy technologies can save money, but buyers must choose products with care. (Technology: Update).

New energy efficiency and supply technologies offer savings, but experience shows that some may not work as expected, resulting in lost money, operational problems - or worse. Unbiased reviews exist on many options, but may be hard to find. Interested energy users may have to "play detective" to get the information they need.

That's the message from "Evaluating Energy Technologies - Will That New Gizmo Really Work For Me?", the March-April, 2003 Tips of the Month at www.energybuyer.org, a service of Energywiz, Inc. Energywiz is a New York-based energy consulting firm focused on helping commercial and industrial energy customers and their consultants get the most out of the competitive energy marketplace.

Together, the two Tips cover questions that should be asked by potential buyers of new energy technologies before making procurement decisions. Web links in the Tips also offer sources for independent reviews by government, university, or non-profit groups not tied to any vendor. A process for evaluating relative risks of technologies is provided to assist in development of a benefit-to-risk ratio that can assist decision making.

"Facility and building managers are often confronted by devices that claim to save energy and money, but may not be appropriate to specific circumstances," said Lindsay Audin, president of Energywiz, Inc. "It is essential that a balanced approach be taken to qualifying such devices before risking their use," he continued. "If one is merely installing a few light fixtures, such risk may be minimal, but a campus-wide lighting upgrade, a new chiller, or more exotic device could create major headaches if they don't work as planned. Managers want savings, not litigation, when they buy into a new technology. We hope these Tips will improve how buyers and vendors understand and communicate the risks and benefits of new energy options."