Scrutinizing Air Changes

Scrutinizing Air Changes

It is important to analyze the air changes and question the requirements and motivation behind these changes. Ventilation has a huge impact on overall operating costs not due just to the energy required to move the air, but also due to the energy required to heat and cool the air, particularly in extreme climates. The ventilation rates are often overestimated, so do not assume the air change rate is always driven by thermal loads. Additional changes do not necessarily equate to increased safety.

“Base optimum minimum ventilation requirements on user needs, health and safety protection, and energy consumption,” says Mathew. “The environmental health and safety officers usually set the rates, so designers need to work with them to optimize the rates. Consider design options, including exhaust alternatives, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, a panic switch for emergency airflow in case a spill occurs, cascading air use from clean areas to dirty areas, and occupancy sensors or a schedule-driven approach to change the rate when the space is not occupied.”

By performing CFD modeling of indoor airflows, designers can study airflow patterns and optimize the position of supply diffusers, return grilles, and fume hood locations relative to work surfaces and, thereby, improve the effectiveness of the airflow.

The ventilation rate seems to differ among research facilities and correlates with a corresponding difference in energy usage. Owners, architects, and engineers should inquire about what the proper rate should be in order to achieve maximum safety and savings.

Hutchinson Hall at the University of Rochester is an example of a building that had 10 air changes per hour, which represents an original standard set at least four decades ago. The environmental safety and health officer was asked why the rate was set at 10 and whether the potential hazards were reviewed. After reviewing the rate and its subsequent ramifications, the officer defined various hazard levels for different types of laboratories. This approach is called control banding. In each one, there was an occupied setting, as well as an unoccupied setting for the air change rate.

The issue of fume hoods being massive beasts of energy consumption must be considered, as well. A single fume hood consumes as much energy as three average homes, while a lab with 100 hoods utilizes as much energy as a small neighborhood. The LBNL provides an online tool at http://fumehoodcalculator.lbl.gov that enables users to compare fume hoods. Information about the type of hood, the price of electricity and gas, as well as the climate zone, can be entered into the system and the calculator will make comparisons between fume hoods. The calculator can be used to test the energy and cost impacts of improving component efficiencies and comparing options.

“Everything owners and programmers can do to reduce the number and the size of fume hoods is the best way to improve energy efficiency,” says Mathew. “Make sure you allow for easy additions and removals to alleviate concerns from faculty who think if it is not done now, it will never be installed. Consider variable air volume (VAV), two-speed fume hoods, the new generation of high-performance hoods that use a different airflow pattern and provide excellent containment with much lower volumes.”

Reduce the Pressure Drop

Approximately 50 percent of the total heating, ventilation, and air conditioning energy in a lab is related to fans and the electricity used to operate them. There are several ways to reduce that energy usage with the most logical being to improve the efficiency of the fans by ensuring the motors are in top working order. Total airflow can also be reduced through the VAV supply.

“An often overlooked strategy is to reduce system pressure drop throughout the entire ventilation system on both the supply and exhaust sides,” says Mathew. “Low-pressure drop design strategies can be used across the entire air distribution network. This low-pressure drop can result in 75 percent energy savings for fan loads, smaller fans used, longer filter life with less maintenance, and a more quiet operation.”

Reducing the total pressure drop through a ventilation system can be achieved by increasing the area of cooling and heating coils, resulting in the fans requiring less energy to push the air through the coils. Another way to reduce the drop is to use radial ducts instead of square ducts.

A major complaint architects hear from mechanical engineers is that they do not provide them with enough shaft space and ceiling plenum space. Therefore, allowing for larger ducts requires good upfront architectural integration to provide larger spaces.

At the University of California, Davis Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, engineers looked at the base case of the air handler, which was 2.2 inches of water gauge (w.g.) and dropped it to 0.68 w.g. The duct work was kept as straight and short as possible with large ducts. As a result of including these strategies, the engineers achieved a pressure drop that resulted in decreased energy usage.

Get Real with Plug Loads

Plug loads are basically the heat loads that result from any lab equipment that requires electricity and generates heat. HVAC systems are often oversized out of fear that a facility might not be able to meet over-estimated plug loads in the future. As a result, chillers and air handlers are often oversized and this leads to unnecessary expense and wasted operating cost in the long term.

Mechanical equipment should be right sized to save capital and operating costs. Study actual loads at comparable facilities to fully understand the real load, using improved estimates of heat gain from plug loads.

“Find out what the plug loads are at a comparable lab and then start your sizing based on that rather than an arbitrarily high number,” suggests Mathew. “You need to design for high part-load efficiency because labs aren’t always going to operate at peak loads. One of the ways you can do this is by using a modular approach.”

For example, two large boilers at the LBNL were replaced with 11 smaller, modular boilers. Each boiler kicks on as needed as the load ramps up. No more than seven of the boilers have operated simultaneously, leaving four completely redundant and demonstrating how oversizing occurs.

UC Davis is concerned about plug loads and is using right-sizing, in part, because of tight construction budgets and the need to minimize the impact of large mechanical equipment. In order to accomplish these objectives, the University began sizing to a 15-minute average peak rather than an instantaneous peak. Electrical systems must be sized accordingly, but mechanical systems should be sized for a lower quantity.

Right sizing is also being used at the Molecular Foundry Laboratory at the Berkeley Lab. The air handlers and electrical generators were downsized, resulting in a multi-million dollar initial cost savings. Some of the money saved was applied toward additional green features that qualify the facility for a Silver-level LEED certification.

TYPES OF ENERGY AUDITS

TYPES OF ENERGY AUDITS   

The term energy audit is commonly used to describe a broad spectrum of energy studies ranging from a quick walk-through of a facility to identify major problem areas to a comprehensive analysis of the implications of alternative energy efficiency measures sufficient to satisfy the financial criteria of sophisticated investors. Three common audit programs are described in more detail below, although the actual tasks performed and level of effort may vary with the consultant providing services under these broad headings. The only way to insure that a proposed audit will meet your specific needs is to spell out those requirements in a detailed scope of work. Taking the time to prepare a formal solicitation will also assure the building owner of receiving competitive and comparable proposals.
Preliminary Audit
The preliminary audit alternatively called a simple audit, screening audit or walk-through audit, is the simplest and quickest type of audit. It involves minimal interviews with site operating personnel, a brief review of facility utility bills and other operating data, and a walk-through of the facility to become familiar with the building operation and identify glaring areas of energy waste or inefficiency.
Typically, only major problem areas will be uncovered during this type of audit. Corrective measures are briefly described, and quick estimates of implementation cost, potential operating cost savings, and simple payback periods are provided. This level of detail, while not sufficient for reaching a final decision on implementing a proposed measures, is adequate to prioritize energy efficiency projects and determine the need for a more detailed audit.
General Audit
The general audit alternatively called a mini-audit, site energy audit or complete site energy audit expands on the preliminary audit described above by collecting more detailed information about facility operation and performing a more detailed evaluation of energy conservation measures identified. Utility bills are collected for a 12 to 36 month period to allow the auditor to evaluate the facility's energy/demand rate structures, and energy usage profiles. Additional metering of specific energy-consuming systems is often performed to supplement utility data. In-depth interviews with facility operating personnel are conducted to provide a better understanding of major energy consuming systems as well as insight into variations in daily and annual energy consumption and demand.
This type of audit will be able to identify all energy conservation measures appropriate for the facility given its operating parameters. A detailed financial analysis is performed for each measure based on detailed implementation cost estimates, site-specific operating cost savings, and the customer's investment criteria. Sufficient detail is provided to justify project implementation.
Investment-Grade Audit
In most corporate settings, upgrades to a facility's energy infrastructure must compete with non-energy related investments for capital funding. Both energy and non-energy investments are rated on a single set of financial criteria that generally stress the expected return on investment (ROI). The projected operating savings from the implementation of energy projects must be developed such that they provide a high level of confidence. In fact, investors often demand guaranteed savings.
The investment-grader audit alternatively called a comprehensive audit, detailed audit, maxi audit, or technical analysis audit, expands on the general audit described above by providing a dynamic model of energy use characteristics of both the existing facility and all energy conservation measures identified. The building model is calibrated against actual utility data to provide a realistic baseline against which to compute operating savings for proposed measures. Extensive attention is given to understanding not only the operating characteristics of all energy consuming systems, but also situations that cause load profile variations on both an annual and daily basis. Existing utility data is supplemented with submetering of major energy consuming systems and monitoring of system operating characteristics.

Simple ways to minimize air conditioning and save big bucks on your summer electric bills.

Simple ways to minimize air conditioning and save big bucks on your summer electric bills.

HOME
Keeping cool without AC, or while minimizing air conditioner usage, is not rocket science. It's mostly common sense. These suggestions are distilled from years of experience of living without air conditioning. It should be remembered that our advice is for this particular climate, but ideas may be found here for use elsewhere..
1. Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water. Avoid soft drinks and caffeine, these will dehydrate you, as does alcohol. The idea that an ice cold soda pop is the perfect solution to thirst is a delusion fostered by hundreds of millions of dollars of advertising. Its purpose is to enrich the stockholders and management of soda pop corporations at your expense. The more soda pop you drink, the more thirsty you will be, the hotter you will feel, and thus the more uncomfortable you will be in hot weather. Soda pop advertisements are LIES! Sugar free soft drinks are as bad as the sugared versions.
2. Dress for the season when inside your house. Wear shorts and a light shirt. Loose fitting clothes are cooler and more comfortable than tight fitting garments. Go barefoot or wear sandals. Natural fabrics are cooler than synthetics. At night, use light cotton sheets on your bed. Minimize indoor fabrics, as fabric increases interior humidity. This is good in the winter, but bad in the summer. People living without air conditioning should probably opt for no carpet on the floors; during the winter they can lay down area rugs, but roll them up and put them away during the summer.
3. In the summer, shade is your friend. Keep the sun's heat from hitting windows, doors, walls. Install window shades on the outside of your house; indoor curtains are not enough (although they will help). Once the sun hits the glass and window frame, the heat is conducted inside the house, even if you have indoor curtains, so shade them in addition to your curtains.
It is easy and inexpensive to make your own outdoor window shades. For six years we have had great success using mylar covered auto sun shades that are about 5' X 2'. They cost a dollar or so at local stores. We duct tape two or three of them together (depending on the size of the window) and hang them on the outside of our windows. Then we cover that with a white roll up shade, which is mostly for appearance. An inexpensive bamboo roll-up window shade works fine. One or more curtains inside will help, and choose white or another light color (sheets are do-able and cheap, & more is better). Don't forget to shade the doors if you don't have a porch. Shade cloth is available and can be used over windows, although it costs more.
The best choice for your wall shade is vegetation. Although it takes many years to grow a tall tree, vines grow in just a few weeks. Morning glories provide plenty of shade plus flowers that are beautiful to look at. We have grape vines on our trellis, so not only do we get shade, we also get tasty grapes to eat.
If you have indoor thermal mass, such as concrete or brick floors, a masonry fireplace, etc., make sure it is shaded so it doesn't soak up heat during the day. (The opposite of what you want to do in the winter, of course.)
3. When keeping cool without any air conditioning, the basic rule is: keep the house closed up during the day when it is hot outside, and ventilate it in the evening and at night when it is cooler. At night we put box fans in the windows to pull cool air in and hot air out of the house, and we open nearly every window and door to facilitate cross breezes. During the day we close up the house to keep the heat out, usually between 7 and 8 AM, depending on the outside temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud cover.. The exact time is based on our perception of what the weather is doing outside. If it is warming up and the humidity is high, we close up right away. If the morning coolness lingers, we "stay open" longer. The longer you live without AC, or minimize your AC use, the better you will be at making this kind of judgment.
We open up the house when it seems as thought it is starting to get warmer inside than outside. We open the doors and windows on the very shady north side and shady southeast side of the house before we open the doors and windows in the southwest corner of the house, which gets the most sunshine.
We sometimes run a small window fan in a window that pulls air that has been cooled by our shady trellis during the day, but we keep the rest of the doors and windows closed.
These ventilation decisions will vary from site to site (ERV), and also people have different definitions of comfort. In the beginning you will want to experiment to find the right combination for your own particular situation, which is influenced by the design and construction of your dwelling and the microclimate of its site. But this does work.
4. Keep the air moving around inside. We use ceiling fans and rotating fans to create breezes in the house during the day and the night. Moving air can knock ten degrees off of the apparent temperature, so fans can add considerably to indoor comfort. They can also be used in conjunction with conventional air conditioning. With breezes inside, you can set the thermostat temperature higher than would be the case without the fans. Box fans are good for use in windows, but for other indoor uses, they are inefficient and usually noisy, rotary fans are better. Variable speed fans will help you get the right amount of air.
5. Insulation and weatherization help moderate indoor temperatures in the summer too. Minimizing leaks will help you keep your coolth inside.
6. Ventilate your attic. We did this during our third summer without air conditioning, and it added appreciably to the indoor comfort level.
7. Minimize heat buildup inside the house. If you have a dishwasher, don't use it or at minimum don't use the heat dry at the end of the cycle. Take cool or lukewarm showers, rather than hot steamy showers. (If you aren't using AC, you won't want a hot shower in the summer anyway.) Check your electronic equipment. Many devices such as "instant on" televisions draw current all the time, and thus create heat. Plug them into an electrical outlet strip and turn it off and on with the switch on the electric outlet strip, and thus eliminate the "hot plates" adding heat to the indoor climate. Don't use the clothes dryer, hang your clothes on a line outside to dry. If your neighbors ask what you're doing, tell them you are using your "solar clothes dryer". If you smoke, do so outside. Turn your computers off when they are not in use.
One of the biggest contributors to indoor heat and humidity is cooking, so during the summer, we cook outside, on the porch. I set up a "summer kitchen" on our shady front porch (on the north side of the house). This consists of a small two burner camp stove, and a conventional backyard gas grill. Both are hooked to 20 pound propane bottles, and seem to be fairly thrifty with their propane consumption, especially the 2 burner camp stove. To use a 20 pound bottle with such small stoves, which usually run on a small one pound or so bottle, you need a special adaptor, sold at most propane and outdoor supply stores. We also have a large gas ring (advertised as a "turkey fryer") for boiling larger amounts of water. When I make pickles in the summer, my boiling water canner fits it perfectly, and it brings the water to a boil much faster than the natural gas stove in the house. A little roller cart, bought at a garage sale, completes the setup. I have a cast iron skillet with a cover, it makes a fine "dutch oven" so that the gas grill becomes an oven for baking casseroles or biscuits. I do the prep work in the regular indoor kitchen, load everything onto the cart, and roll it out onto the front porch for cooking. When I cook outside, and see the large clouds of smoke and steam rising from the pans, I am reminded about how much heat and humidity cooking contributes to indoor atmospheres.
Cooking outside also makes sense for people with air conditioning, because the AC will have to work hard, and consume energy, and thus cost you extra money, every time you cook a meal.
8. If you are using no air conditioning at all, try to stay out of air conditioned spaces. I am most uncomfortable when I come home from my "perfectly" air conditioned office. But on my days off, when I generally stay out of air conditioned spaces, I am more comfortable. You body does acclimate itself to your surroundings, whatever they may be.
9. If the heat becomes oppressive, dowse your head, arms, and feet with cool water, or take a cool shower, or (my favorite) go outside and dowse yourself with a water hose. Keep a spray bottle of cool water handy, and give yourself a spritz of cool water every once in a while.
The title of this little essay is not a joke. Life is a joy, and I don't miss air conditioning, ESPECIALLY when I open our electric bill in the summer. The gentle breezes from fans inside the house are refreshing, as is going outside and spraying myself (and others) with the water hose. Abandoning or minimizing your air conditioner habit is a way to increase the quality of your life. As with any other movement towards sustainability, do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

LIGHTING AUDIT SERVICES

LIGHTING AUDIT SERVICES

ABOUT OUR COMPANY

Lighting Audit Consulting is an independent lighting audit and analysis company. We believe the audit is the foundation of every project, and we are dedicated to thoroughness and accuracy.
We understand that material cost and labor cost estimates are based on the audit. We understand that schedules, profits, reputations, customer satisfaction, and energy savings are all based on the audit.
We provide a detailed room-by-room analysis custom tailored to your needs. We work with you on each and every application. We strive to give you confidence in the foundation of your lighting project, to reduce costly change orders, and create a lighting environment suitable to your objectives.

SERVICES

With the help of Lighting Audit Services you can custom tailor your energy analysis to meet your needs.
Specific documentation within our analysis includes:
- Building, floor, and area identification
- Quantity of fixtures by type per space
- Existing fixture digital photo index
- Existing fixture wattages
- Existing controls
- Existing operating hours
- Retrofit applications
- Proposed fixture wattages
- Proposed controls
- Proposed operating hours
- KW savings
- KWH savings
- Utility savings
- New fixture descriptions
- Ceiling types
- Ceiling heights
All information is gathered electronically.
All fixtures are digitally photographed.
All fixture applications are pre-approved by our customer.

MANAGEMENT

YJay Draiman
YJay Draiman has worked in the commercial lighting and control industry since 1991.
As an apprentice electrician, lighting installer, field supervisor, and project manager he has an extensive background in the field operations of an energy efficient lighting contractor. Mr. Bridges has managed numerous large projects including clients such as Municipalities – Government Buildings, United States Bases.- Public School District,  Private School District, and the UPS Corporation, Walgreen Corporation, Burger King and many more.
Mr. YJay Draiman has been responsible for material specification and ordering, labor management, project scheduling, and customer relations.
Since 1988 Mr. YJay Draiman has worked as an auditor, estimator and auditing and estimating manager. He has undergone extensive training from lighting manufacturers and utility companies. As manager of an auditing and estimating department, he has supervised five full time auditors, been responsible for over one thousand investment grade audits and quotations, and successfully estimated many public bids.
In 1999 Mr. YJay Draiman founded Lighting Audit Consulting with a goal to increase the standard of energy efficient lighting audits. To reduce costly change orders, to give contractors and energy service company's confidence in the foundation of their projects, to help property managers and engineers effectively document their facilities lighting and controls, and work diligently with customers to create a lighting system that meets their objectives.

HOME ENERGY AUDIT

HOME ENERGY AUDIT

What does it take to make your home more energy-efficient? An audit will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time. During the audit, you can pinpoint where your house is losing energy. Audits also determine the efficiency of your home’s heating and cooling systems. An audit may also show you ways to conserve hot water. You can perform a simple A home energy audit is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes, and to evaluate what measures you can energy audit yourself, or have a professional energy auditor carry out a more thorough audit.

A professional auditor uses a variety of techniques and equipment to determine the energy efficiency of a structure. Thorough audits often use equipment such as blower doors, which measure the extent of leaks in the building envelope, as well as infrared cameras, which reveal hard-to-detect areas of air infiltration and missing insulation. The following is a discussion of do-it-yourself as well as professional audits.

Do-It-Yourself Audits:

You can easily conduct a home energy audit yourself. With a simple, but diligent, "walk-through," you can spot many problems in any type of house. When auditing your home, keep a checklist of areas you have inspected and problems found. This will help you prioritize your energy efficiency upgrades.

Locating Air Leaks:

First, make a list of obvious air leaks (drafts). The potential energy savings draft reduction may range from 5% to 30% per year, and the home is generally much more comfortable afterwards. Check for indoor air leaks such as gaps along the baseboard or edge of the flooring, and at junctures of the walls and ceiling. Check to see if air can flow through electrical outlets, switch-plates, window frames, baseboards, weather-stripping around doors, fireplace dampers, attic hatches, and wall- or window-mounted air conditioners. Look for gaps around pipes and wires, electrical outlets, foundation seals, and mail slots. Check to see if the caulking and weather-stripping are applied properly (no gaps or cracks), and are in good condition.

Inspect windows and doors for air leaks. See if you can rattle them, since movement means possible air leaks. If you can see daylight around door and window frames, then the door or window leaks. You can usually seal these leaks by caulking or weather-stripping them. Check the storm windows to see if they fit and are not broken. You may also wish to consider replacing your old windows and doors with newer, high-performance ones. If new factory-made doors or windows are too costly, you can install low-cost plastic sheets over the windows.

If you are having difficulty locating leaks, you may want to conduct a basic building pressurization test. First, close all exterior doors, windows, and fireplace flues. Turn off all combustion appliances such as gas burning furnaces and water heaters. (Remember to turn them back on when you are done with the test.) Then turn on all exhaust fans (generally located in the kitchen and bathrooms) or use a large window fan to suck the air out of the rooms. This increases infiltration through cracks and leaks, making them easier to detect. You can use incense sticks or your damp hand to locate these leaks. Moving air causes the smoke to waver, and you will feel a draft when it cools your hand.

On the outside of your house, inspect all areas where two different building materials meet. For example: inspect all exterior corners; where siding and chimneys meet; and areas where the foundation and the bottom of exterior brick or siding meet. You should plug and caulk holes or penetrations for faucets, pipes, electric outlets, and wiring. Look for cracks and holes in the mortar, foundation, and siding, and seal them with the appropriate material. Check the exterior caulking around doors and windows, and see whether exterior storm doors and primary doors seal tightly.

CAUTION: When sealing any home, you must always be aware of the danger of indoor air pollution and combustion appliance "backdrafts." Backdrafting is when the various combustion appliances and exhaust fans in the home compete for air. An exhaust fan may pull the combustion gases back into the living space. This can obviously create a very dangerous and unhealthy situation in the home.

In homes where a fuel is burned (i.e., natural gas, fuel oil, propane, or wood) for heating, be certain the appliance has an adequate air supply. Generally one square inch of vent opening is required for each 1,000 Btu of appliance input heat. When in doubt, contact your local utility company, energy professional, or ventilation contractor.

Insulation:

Heat loss through the ceiling and walls in your home could be very large if the insulation levels are less than the recommended minimum. You should check to see if the level of the attic and wall insulation of your home is at least at the minimum recommended amount. When your house was built, the insulation recommended at that time was installed. Given today’s energy prices, and that future prices probably will be higher, the level might be inadequate, especially if you have an older home.

If the attic hatch is located above a conditioned space, check to see if it is at least as heavily insulated as the attic, is weather-stripped, and closes tightly. In the attic, determine whether openings for items such as pipes, ductwork, and chimneys are sealed. Any gaps should be sealed with an expanding foam caulk or some other permanent sealant. If you have recessed light fixtures, determine if they are IC rated fixtures. It is strongly recommended that only air tight-IC rated fixtures be used. Other types allow large amounts of your heating dollar to escape into the attic. If you do not wish to purchase new IC rated fixtures, be certain to allow a three-inch space around any recessed lights. This will prevent the recessed light from overheating.

While you are inspecting the attic, check to see if there is a vapor barrier (retarder) under the attic insulation. The vapor barrier might be tar paper, kraft paper attached to fiberglass batts, or a plastic sheet. If there does not appear to be a vapor barrier, you might consider painting the interior ceilings with vapor barrier paint. This reduces the amount of water vapor that can pass through the ceiling. Large amounts of moisture can reduce the effectiveness of insulation and promote structural damage. Make sure that the attic vents are not blocked by insulation. You also should seal any electrical boxes in the ceiling with flexible caulk (from the living room side or attic side) and cover the entire attic floor with at least the recommended amount of insulation.

Checking a wall’s insulation level is more difficult. Select an exterior wall and turn off the circuit breaker or unscrew the fuse for any outlets in the wall. Be sure to test the outlets to make certain that they are not "hot." Check it with a lamp or portable radio. Remove the cover plate from one of the outlets and gently probe into the wall with a thin, long stick or screwdriver. If you encounter a slight resistance, you have some insulation there. You could also make a small hole in a closet, behind a couch, or in some other unobtrusive place to see what, if anything, the wall cavity is filled with. Ideally, the wall cavity should be totally filled with some form of insulation material. Unfortunately, this method cannot tell you if the entire wall is insulated, or if the insulation has settled. Only a thermographic inspection (discussed below) can do this.

If your basement is unheated, determine whether there is insulation under the living area flooring. In most areas of the country, R-25 is the recommended minimum level of insulation. The insulation at the top of the foundation wall and first floor perimeter should have an R-Value of 19 or greater. If the basement is heated, the foundation walls should be insulated to at least R-19. Your water heater, hot water pipes, and furnace ducts should all be insulated.

Heating/Cooling Equipment:

Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer. If you have a forced air furnace, check your filters and replace them as needed. Generally they should be changed about once every month or two, especially during periods of high usage. Have a professional check and clean your equipment once a year. If the unit is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing it with one of the newer, energy-efficient units. This would go far to reduce your energy consumption, especially if the existing equipment is in poor condition. Check your ductwork for dirt streaks, especially near seams. These indicate air leaks, and they should be sealed with a duct mastic. Insulate any ducts or pipes that travel through unheated spaces. An insulation R-Value of 6 is the recommended minimum.

Lighting:

Energy for lighting accounts for about 10% of your electric bill. Examine the wattage size of the light bulbs in your house. You may have 100 watt (or larger) bulbs where 60 or 75 watts would do. You should also consider compact fluorescent lamps for areas where lights are on for hours at a time. Your electric utility may offer rebates or other incentives for purchasing energy-efficient lamps.

Professional Energy Audits:

All professional energy audits should, at a minimum, include a "walk-through" similar to the one above and a blower door test (discussed below). Most will also include a thermographic scan (also discussed below). Professional audits generally go into great detail. The auditor should do a room-by-room examination of the residence, as well as a thorough examination of past utility bills.

Before the auditor visits your house, make a list of any existing problems such as condensation and uncomfortable or drafty rooms. Have copies or a summary of the home’s yearly energy bills. (Your utility can get these for you.) The auditors use this information to establish what to look for during the audit. The auditor first examines the outside of the home to determine the size of the house and its features (i.e., wall area, number and size of windows). The auditor then analyses the occupants’ behavior: Is anyone home during working hours? What is the average thermostat setting for summer and winter? How many people live here? Is every room in use? Your answers may help uncover some simple ways to reduce your household’s energy consumption. Walk through your home with the auditors as they work, and ask questions. They may also use equipment to detect sources of energy loss, such as blower doors, infrared cameras, furnace efficiency meters, and surface thermometers.

Blower Door Tests:

A blower door is a powerful fan that mounts into the frame of an exterior door. The fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure then flows in through all unsealed cracks and openings. The auditors may use a smoke pencil to detect air leaks. These tests determine the air infiltration rate of a building. Several reasons for establishing the proper building tightness are: to reduce energy consumption due to air leakage; to avoid moisture condensation problems; to avoid uncomfortable drafts caused by cold air leaking in from the outdoors; and to make sure that the home’s air quality is not too contaminated by indoor air pollution.

There are two types of blower doors: "calibrated" and "uncalibrated". It is important that auditors use a calibrated door. This type of blower door has several gauges that measure the amount of air pulled out of the house by the fan. Uncalibrated blower doors can only locate leaks in homes. They provide no method for determining the overall tightness of a building. The calibrated blower door’s data allows the auditor to quantify the amount of air leakage and the effectiveness of any air-sealing job.

Thermographic Inspection:

Energy auditors may also use thermography infrared scanning to detect thermal defects and air leakage in building envelopes. Thermography measures surface temperatures by using infrared video and still cameras. These tools see light that is in the heat spectrum. Images on the video or film record the temperature variations of the building’s skin, ranging from white for warm regions to black for cooler areas. The resulting images help the auditor determine whether insulation is needed. They also serve as a quality control tool, to ensure that insulation has been installed correctly.

A thermographic inspection is either an interior or exterior survey. The auditor decides which method would give the best results under certain weather conditions. Interior scans are more common, because warm air escaping from a building does not always move through the walls in a straight line. Heat loss detected in one area of the outside wall might originate at some other location on the inside of the wall. Also, it is harder to detect temperature differences on the outside surface of the building during windy weather. Because of this, interior surveys are generally more accurate, as they benefit from reduced air movement. Thermographic scans are also commonly used with the blower door is running. The blower door helps exaggerate air leaking through defects in the building shell. Such air leaks appear as black streaks in the infrared camera’s view finder.

Most energy audits take from four to eight hours and cost between $300 and $500. Any retrofit work would of course cost additional money.

HIRE A CONSULTANT!

HIRE A CONSULTANT!

– YJay Draiman dba Energy Savers

Expense Management Services

Telecom and datacom charges are a major expense for most organizations. But if you have the knowledge and know where to look for overcharges and inefficiencies, telecom is also the area where you can realize significant savings. Working with an experienced telecom consultant can make the process easier.

Why a telecom consultant is a good investment

Telecom bills are voluminous, specialized, and confusing. They are comprised of myriad coding details and pricing programs for a wide range of services including local, long distance, broadband, data, paging, cellular, and also includes maintenance services and various taxes and tariffs. An experienced specialist can help get results by accurately checking all invoices, finding billing errors worth pursuing and following up to get refunds from carriers.

Most Telecom Bills Contain Errors

Accepting telecom bills at face value can be an expensive decision for your organization. Recent industry surveys show that that telecom overcharging is rampant and that the amount of overcharges can be significant -- anywhere from 8-15%.   Since the average company spends 5-10% of its operating on telecom bills, the dollar amounts can be considerable. Even a small company with $200,000 in annual telecom expenses could be missing an opportunity to deliver an extra $20,000 to their bottom line each year!

Hire a Telecom Consultant

If your telecom bills contain overcharges, you are entitled to a refund. But your carrier is not going to help lower your bill, you will have to find the errors and present them yourself. That’s why you need an experienced consultant to lower your telecom bills.

Moving or Re-Organizing your Company?

If your company is moving or has recently undergone a merger or acquisition, or is managing multiple vendors and contracts for its telecommunication services, you are in a good position to realize significant cost savings.

Energy Savers Consulting Gets Results

Energy Savers Consulting has been reducing telecom and datacom bills for its clients since 1994.  Energy Savers gets results because we are specialists in managing telecom expenses and have many years of experience honing their skills. The average Energy Savers Consulting analyst has over 20 years of experience. Because our analysts are experienced and know what to look for, they can efficiently evaluate your invoices and find expensive errors. Energy Savers estimates that clients will generally save $2 dollars for every $1 spent on auditing and renegotiating services. However many clients have realized much higher ROIs, for example, one recent client spent $60,000 and saved over $2 million in telecom bills over a 3-year period!

Energy Savers Consulting Services offers a range of services to meet the needs of any organization, large or small. Services can range from project work such as telecom audit and bill review, contract negotiations, dispute resolution, and telecom service evaluation. However, Energy Savers also regularly performs ongoing services such as monthly bill paying and outsourcing key personnel to provide clients with specially trained telecom experts to help control their telecom costs.

CALL FOR FREE TELECOM COST ANALYSIS

If you think that your telecom bills are too high, call or email today for a free one-hour evaluation and analysis. You will speak to an experienced telecom specialist who will ask you questions about your telecom system, provide you with a high-level review and suggestions about how telecom outsourcing can mean immediate savings.

A TELECOM AUDIT CAN SAVE YOU THOUSANDS

A Telecom Audit is important because it is the first step you can take to lower your monthly telecom and datacom bills. Once an audit is completed and the carrier notified of overcharges, savings can begin immediately. To learn how easy it is to begin reducing your telecom bills, call Energy Savers Consulting today. Energy Savers Consulting is a leading telecom consultancy and has been helping clients get more value from their telecom investment since 1994.

Do you need A Telecom Audit?

Are your telecom bills too high? The answer is probably yes. Some experts claim that there is an extremely high error rate in telecommunications billing. This means for every ten invoices you receive, there could be an error on 8 of them. Energy Savers Consulting has found that roughly 30% of those errors are significant enough to be worth fixing. Here are just a few things that can go wrong: Calls may not be billed at the proper rate, fees can be assessed for unnecessary services, and all of your lines may not be routed to your selected long distance carrier. We have found many organizations are paying for expensive services they didn't use; others discovered they were paying too much because they never negotiated or re-negotiated their contract. The worse part: many of these overcharges go on indefinitely, if they are not identified and corrected.

Because the stakes are so high, and the task of performing an audit so specialized, it makes good business sense to have an experienced telecom consultant like Energy Savers Consulting conduct your telecom audit.

Energy Savers Consulting Performs Comprehensive Telecom Audits

Energy Savers Consulting performs comprehensive audits in which the focus is on an average month's billing (the study month) for all telecommunications services. This includes local, long distance, 800 services (toll free), wireless, calling card, teleconference, and Internet access lines. It may also include data networks, frame relay, ATM, or Private Line services, and charges for telephone and equipment maintenance. Our experts, all with extensive billing and contract experience, examine your bills and provide recommendations for savings. Energy Savers Consulting also looks for past billing errors, particularly in the tax area, and works with the carriers to get you refunds and/or credits. Some Energy Savers Consulting clients prefer to have Energy Savers Consulting deal directly with the carrier to make sure that the billing errors are corrected and reflected accurately in ongoing bills. It is important to note that Energy Savers Consulting does not recommend changing carriers or reducing quality in order to reduce monthly bills. All savings will be realized for the same quality of service. The only difference is that you will pay less.

How Much Can a Telecom Audit Save You?

Energy Savers Consulting assures new clients that for every dollar they spend on telecom expense management, they will realize at least a two-dollar savings the first year. However, many clients have saved much more. A recent client invested $60,000 in telecom expense management across their company and saved over $2 million as a result. While it is difficult to predict savings, a simple example can illustrate the magnitude of the financial impact that an audit can provide. Telecom is one of the most significant expenses for every business. If a business spends $100,000 month on telecom expenses and their bills even have a 10% error rate, that organization is wasting $10,000 every month!

ARE YOUR TELECOM BILLS OUT OF CONTROL?

Do something about it today.

Telecom bills are voluminous, specialized, and confusing. They are comprised of myriad coding details and pricing programs for a wide range of services including local, long distance, broadband, data, paging, cellular, and also include maintenance services and various taxes and tariffs. Nobody but an experienced specialist can hope to be able to accurately check all invoices, recognize billing errors worth pursuing and follow up to get fast reductions.

Energy Savers Consulting Can Help

Since 1994, Energy Savers Consulting has been turning telecom and datacom bills from an uncontrolled expense nightmare into significant savings. Energy Savers Consulting is able to get the best results because of our expertise and experience managing telecom bills for large and mid sized companies.

Energy Savers Consulting Will Save You Money

Accepting telecom bills at face value can be an expensive decision for your organization. Recent industry surveys show that that telecom overcharging is rampant and that the amount of overcharges can be significant -- anywhere from 5-10%. Since the average company spends 1% of its annual sales on telecom bills, the dollar amounts can be considerable. Even a small company with $200,000 in annual telecom expenses could add $20,000 to their bottom line each year simply by eliminating erroneous charges and making sure their system was efficient.

Energy Savers Consulting gets results because they are specialists in managing telecom expenses and have many years of experience honing their skills. The average Energy Savers Consulting analyst has over 20 years of telecom experience. Because our analysts are experienced and know what to look for, they can efficiently evaluate your invoices and find expensive errors. Energy Savers normally estimates that clients will save $2 dollars for every $1 spent on audit and negotiating services, however many clients have realized much higher ROI’s. For example, one recent client spent $60,000 and saved over $2 million over the next three years in telecom expenses.

FREE TELECOM BILLING ANALYSIS

If you think that your telecom bills are too high, call or email today for a free one-hour analysis and evaluation. You will speak to an experienced telecom specialist who will ask you questions about your telecom and datacom systems and provide you with a high level review.

YOUR TELECOM CONTRACT IS YOUR STARTING POINT FOR SAVINGS

There are many skills and much technical knowledge needed to negotiate a good contract:

The wording of your contract is extremely important. Energy Savers Consulting knows the exact language to make sure that you get full value.

Service Level Agreements are the key to protecting your interests. Our long experience assures that any SLA we negotiate has real teeth with stiff penalties for non-performance.

Because Energy Savers Consulting negotiates telecom contracts daily (rather than one every one, two, or three years) We know the benchmark pricing, which is a tremendous advantage to you when it comes to negotiating price. We also know how to take advantage of every possible corporate discount for you.

Energy Savers Consulting is part of the Consultant Liaison Program so we are aware of all costs associated with providing you service. This knowledge is a tremendous advantage to you when it comes to determining the price you pay. Energy Savers Consulting will negotiate hard to keep carrier margins thin, thus saving you money, without reducing the level of service.

Why should you hire Energy Savers Consulting to negotiate your telecom contract instead of doing it yourself?

The best answer is that we will always get you a better deal because this is our special expertise. Since we started in business over a decade ago we have NEVER had a client complain about the cost of having us negotiate their contract. That’s because our clients always come out ahead. They pay our fee but they always save significantly more.

Bottom Line: Unless your full time job is negotiating contracts you can’t do as well for yourself as we can do for you.

Let Energy Savers Consulting Negotiate Your Telecom Contract

If you would like to learn how much you could save on your next telecom contract, call today to speak to a member of Energy Savers Consulting Carrier/Vendor Services Group.

Call now for more information

If you have multiple Telecom contracts or are in the process of negotiation right now, or if you just would like to know if you are getting the best deal, call or email today for a free evaluation and analysis. You will speak to an experience telecom specialist who will ask you questions about your contracts and provide you with a high-level review.

IMPORTANT NEWS! – Taxes

Huge Cash Windfalls Available from Federal Excise Tax Refunds.

Call today to learn if your company qualifies.

Savvy telecom customers can reap huge cash windfalls – if they are eligible and if they act while the window of opportunity is still open.

The source of the potential rebate is the 3% Federal Excise Tax (FET) which is assessed on telecom toll charges. But this tax applies ONLY to calls whose prices vary by time and distance. Today however, hardly any interstate calls at all fall into this category. As a result the door is open for companies that qualify to file claims for overpayment and apply for refunds.

Of course, this can be frustrating to do on your own, but that's where Energy Savers Consulting can help. Because of our experience and expertise, we are able to quickly determine if you are eligible for a refund and, if so, we will act on your behalf to make the most effective application for refunds.

If you think that your company can qualify for an FET refund, you should call us immediately. We can determine if you’re eligible and if you are, we can immediately begin filing for recovery.  Don't delay. There is a three-year statute of limitations so it is imperative that you act quickly to file your claim.

Call us today toll-free 818-270-6319 and ask to speak to a Federal Excise Tax specialist.

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Biggest Projects Ever for Energy Savers Consulting

2005 is already a banner year for Energy Savers Consulting. In addition to helping the state of Maryland and the Federal Veterans Affairs reduce their telecom expenses. Energy Savers Consulting continues to significantly reduce costs of cellular as well as voice and data (wireline and wireless) services for our current and new clients.

Operational Services

HELP DESK SOLUTIONS

Energy Savers Consulting is the Help Desk Leader

Energy Savers Consulting maintains one of the consulting industry's best resources for voice and data support services. We are your single point of contact for technical solutions to almost any communication issue. Energy Savers is your advocate when it comes to sorting out problems with multiple carriers. We maintain high-profile relations with repair departments and customer service units at all the major companies. Our troubleshooters work with your vendors to pinpoint the difficulty and get your business running again, fast.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of help desk services

We can act as your remote help desk, train your help desk personnel or provide you with trained people to staff your help desk.

If your company is undertaking a large technical project, our Help Desk Team can do your pre-planning. When you are ready, we will be standing by to coordinate with all service providers assuring a smooth transition and providing the protection you need against unexpected events.

For more Help Desk Information

If you need help enhancing your Help Desk capabilities, call Energy Savers Consulting today. You will speak to an experienced help desk specialist who will ask you questions about your system, and provide you with a high-level review and suggestions about how to make your help desk more effective.

CORPORATE WIRELESS

ACT NOW TO avoid the nightmare!

Without proper planning and administrative controls, corporate wireless can become a "black hole" of soaring expenses and security leaks. That's why it is important to choose an experienced telecom consultant to successfully integrate wireless services into your organization and provide you with a plan to manage corporate wireless needs in the future.

We Can Negotiate a Better Wireless Contract for you

If you are looking for a new Corporate Wireless provider, you should call us first. Energy Savers Consulting has the expertise and experience to make the best deal for you with your carrier or provider. That's our strength. Managing a corporate wireless capability means making a lot of important decisions. What features do you need today? What special wireless needs does your organization have? How do you know which vendors will do the best job?

Most importantly, what can be done if you already have significant wireless resources which are disorganized and out of control? Because wireless is such a new and fast moving technology, it is important you hire a consultant who is experienced, knowledgeable and totally impartial.

Energy Savers Consulting is a full-service telecom consulting firm with special expertise in all sectors of your business where wireless can be an important component:

• Wireless data communications (microwave/satellite)
• Remote access wireless for voice (cell phones)
• Office LAN

Many of the problems of corporate wireless systems fall into the categories of payment plans, inventory management, and wireless administrative policies. Specifically, many users have not negotiated good contracts with vendors, they have trouble keeping track of and accounting for charges, and many organizations have no effective way of controlling non- business use of wireless services. This is particularly important with mobile phone billing which is the area of telecom billing that can most benefit from monitoring and optimization. Drastic billing advantages that can be gained by adjusting pay plans to usage changes.

Energy Savers Consulting has the proven procedures to answer these problems and others. Energy Savers Consulting will evaluate corporate wireless needs, design, and specify a compatible wireless network, create an RFP, evaluate proposals, negotiate contracts, and supervise the installation and management of the new wireless system.

Free Corporate Wireless Analysis

If you have multiple wireless contracts, multiple rates, multiple providers or would just like to know if you're getting the best deal from your carrier, call or email today for a free consultation. You will speak to an experienced telecom specialist who will ask you questions about your wireless agreements, and provide you with a high-level review.

Your telecom contract is the starting point for savings

If you want to control and manage your telecom costs, you should begin by negotiating a contract that provides you with all the services you need at the best possible price. The best way to negotiate a good contract is to have an expert negotiate for you.

When you sit across the negotiating table from a telecom carrier, you are at a distinct disadvantage unless an experienced telecom negotiation expert represents you. The need for representation with vendors is greater today than ever before because of the wide range of services, pricing plans, regulations and tariffs. For example, today many companies are finding the cost of wireless services is spiraling out of control.  This is certainly an item that should be negotiated in your latest contract.

Energy Savers Consulting is the complete telecom negotiation specialist

Energy Savers Consulting aggressively seeks out the most cost-effective rate plans. We have been doing it since 1994 and we are expert negotiators. Our staff keeps up to date on all major carriers' rates as well as federal and state regulations and tariffs. Being this well informed is difficult for anyone who is not a specialist, but it is essential for negotiation success because the basic rate structures for all carriers have become more voluminous and complex. But Energy Savers Consulting does much more than just negotiating a lower price.

Energy Savers Consulting uses our vast technical and industry knowledge to negotiate not only price, but also service level agreements and ongoing maintenance agreements. Telecom services have changed rapidly and encompass a wide range of services: local, long distance, data and Internet, VoIP and wireless. Because of our industry and technological expertise, Energy Savers Consulting is able to look at the big picture to quantify all service issues, eliminate waste and unneeded redundancies, and determine the precise service and maintenance package that will do the best possible job at the lowest price.

Let Energy Savers Consulting Negotiate Your Telecom Contract

If you would like to learn how much you could save on your next telecom contract, call today to speak to a member of Energy Savers Consulting Carrier/Vendor Services Group.

Call Now for a Free Telecom Analysis

If you have multiple Telecom contracts or are in the process of negotiation right now, or if you just would like to know if you are getting the best deal, call or email today for a free evaluation and analysis. You will speak to an experience telecom specialist who will ask you questions about your contracts and provide you with a high-level review and suggestions for immediate savings.

SAVINGS BEGIN WITH A COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ANALYSIS

If you want to have a productive telecom system, you first need to analyze your needs and then determine the most efficient and effective way to meet those needs.

Energy Savers Consulting can help you determine your telecom needs.

Energy Savers Consulting assists your management team in the development and implementation of cost control plans based on your present and future network needs.  Primarily interacting with those in the organization charged with finance and information technology, Energy Savers Consulting goes to work to find cost savings through systems optimization and carrier contract negotiation. Our consultants look at the granular effects that one adjustment has on the next and across the enterprise. We assure the administrator that interdependent systems are responsive, work efficiently and effectively.

The benefits of Energy Savers Consulting Operations Management services include giving your organization control of these vital services:

• Voice Network
• Data Network
• Call Center Design and Implementation
• Procurement, Develop RFPs, Analyze Responses, Advice & Counsel
• Policies, Procedures and Standards

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you reduce telecom expenses.

Our practices provide a consistent approach that can be replicated for multiple projects ensuring that future projects will have the same "best in class" performance.

Operational Methods and Procedures

If you want to have a productive telecom system, you first need to assure that the methods and procedures that you are operating under are efficient and effective.

Energy Savers Consulting can help you streamline your methods and procedures

Energy Savers Consulting assists your management team in the development and implementation of cost control plans based on your present and future network needs.  Primarily interacting with those in the organization charged with finance and information technology, Energy Savers Consulting goes to work to find cost savings through systems optimization and carrier contract negotiation. Our consultants look at the granular effects that one adjustment has on the next and across the enterprise. We assure the administrator that interdependent systems are responsive, work efficiently and effectively.

The benefits of Energy Savers Consulting Operations Management services include giving your organization control of these vital services:

• Voice Network
• Data Network
• Call Center Design and Implementation
• Procurement, Develop RFPs, Analyze Responses, Advise & Counsel
• Policies, Procedures and Standards

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you cut telecom expenses

Our practices provide a consistent approach that can be replicated for multiple projects ensuring that future projects will have the same "best in class" performance.

A SMALL IMPROVEMENT IN A CONTRACT CAN MEAN BIG SAVINGS

When you sit down to negotiate a telecom contract, you are at a distinct disadvantage unless you are represented by a knowledgeable aggressive telecom consultant.

Energy Savers Consulting can help develop more favorable contracts and SLAs.

Energy Savers Consulting Carrier/Vendor Services group aggressively seeks out the most cost-effective rate plans for our clients. Our staff maintains up-to-date intelligence on rate plans of all major carriers plus federal and state regulations and tariffs. Because the basic rate structures have become so complicated, the service we provide to our clients includes a regular review throughout the life of the relationship.

Client service and maintenance is a key part of your vendor contracts. Unfortunately, many telecom customers do not know that these features can change drastically, often at the whim of the service provider. Energy Savers Consulting specializes in enforcing service level agreements to make sure that you get the level of service you are paying for.

Our clients greatly appreciate the help we provide in quantifying service issues, making sure value added services are delivered and articulating and demanding the full package of services defined in agreements.

Energy Savers Consulting will assess your current carrier contracts and implement a comprehensive provider agreement to take advantage of the most competitive rates while also addressing your service level requirements. We can even develop and manage contracts from multiple carriers to make sure you save money.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you cut telecom expenses.

SKILLED TELECOM PROJECT MANAGEMENT CAN BE KEY TO PROJECT SUCCESS

For those organizations that do not have a full-time Telecommunications Manager or have a pressing need to “fill in” for the short term, Energy Savers Consulting provides experienced telecom professionals to assume these duties. Our staff is knowledgeable and is always current on the state of the art of all telecom, datacom and wireless communications. 

Energy Savers Consulting can manage your projects more productively

When additional resources are required for capital projects for on-site planning and management support, Energy Savers Consulting will satisfy all professional requirements to make sure the job gets done right, on-time, on-schedule and on-budget.

Energy Savers Consulting can also help by providing you with help desk and support staff and by training your telecom people.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a range of services that are generally outside of the expertise and experience of many telecom managers.

Energy Savers Consulting adds team support for projects where the telecom manager may have the expertise and experience but does not have the bandwidth to manage extremely large projects.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you cut telecom expenses

Planning & Design Services

DESIGN YOUR TELECOM SYSTEM BASED ON NEEDS ANALYSIS

If you want an efficient, productive telecom system, ideally you should begin in the design phase. The specialists who design your system must understand your needs and understand the most efficient and cost-effective way to meet them.

Energy Savers Consulting can design your telecom system

The information network is an ever-evolving system designed to serve the information storage and delivery needs of the organization. Energy Savers Consulting specializes in communication network design, expansion and relocation.

The evolving convergence of voice and data communications will facilitate a host of useful and cost-effective applications. Considerations for network design or major expansion must be made with a full understanding that voice and data communications are dynamic and will change dramatically from what we know today.

Energy Savers Consulting will assist you in understanding these advances and recommending the proper approach, planning, equipment and backbone structures to support this evolution. This process will minimize the risk of system obsolescence and optimize your investment in network services, system upgrades and move/add/change (MAC) activities.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you cut telecom expenses

METHODS AND

PROCEDURES DRIVE

NETWORK OPTIMIZATION

If you want an efficient, productive telecom system, ideally you should begin in the design phase. The specialists who design your system must understand your needs and understand the most efficient and cost-effective way to meet them. Most corporate information systems were not designed to perform all the tasks for which they are responsible today. Growth, acquisition or relocation plus the inherent problems of speed and reliability have forced many organizations to re-examine their networks.

Energy Savers Consulting can optimize your network

The information network is an ever-evolving system designed to serve the information storage and delivery needs of the organization. Energy Savers Consulting specializes in communication network design, expansion and relocation.

A regular network performance evaluation, including an annual review of the information system’s strategic plans, can ensure that your system will meet the future business needs of your organization.

Energy Savers Consulting creates the evaluation criteria, assesses growth history and future plans. We then conduct a “live” usage review to ascertain how the entity retrieves and uses information. Audits conducted by our consultants have saved significant labor costs and resulted in the institution of new methods that optimize the network. In some cases Energy Savers Consulting helped eliminate the need for system replacement, which can easily mean the difference between a quarterly profit or loss for many organizations.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you cut telecom expenses

THINKING ABOUT Voip?

CALL A CONSULTANT FIRST!

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a technology that enables you to use your Internet connection to carry your phone service. VoIP technology is new and important because it holds the promise of significant savings and greater efficiency.

The ability to send phone calls over data networks was once looked upon as a futuristic dream, but it is fast becoming the hottest telecom technology. Transporting voice services over an existing data network can reduce costs significantly and streamline operations by enabling one infrastructure to handle voice, data, and integrated services. The emergence of VoIP means that the slow expensive circuit switching methods of the past will give way forever to a future of fast, efficient packet switching networks equally capable of handling voice or data.

Hard questions about VoIP

VoIP is an exciting development. But is VoIP the right choice for you now? Is VoIP voice quality good enough? Is VoIP service reliable? If you switch to VoIP, how much can you really expect to save? What are the most serious potential problems with VoIP? To get the answers to these and other important questions, you should get the opinion of a qualified VoIP consultant.

Potential Problems with VoIP?

While the future benefits of VoIP are inevitable, there are still reasons to exercise caution before migrating to VoIP telephony.

Voice quality, while improving, is still not up to the standards of voice telephony. And there's another and more important reason to move with caution: data network failures are more common than voice network failures and can take longer to fix. It is one thing to lose your email for a few hours, but it can be a disaster to lose phone service for that long.

How a VoIP Consultant Can Help

The questions about if, when and how to introduce VoIP to your organization are very specific. The answers depend on your current network and your plans for the future. An experienced consultant will analyze your current resources, evaluate your choices and make specific recommendations. Another reason why a consultant is so important is because there are so many VoIP vendors offering solutions. To make the best decision you should have the opinion of an unbiased expert who is representing your best interest.

FREE CONSULTATION FROM ENERGY SAVERS CONSULTING

Energy Savers Consulting has been helping clients save money and get more value from their telecom and datacom networks since 1994.  They are experts at the new VoIP technology. If you want the opinion of an experienced phone system specialist about your plans to add VoIP to your system, call or email today for a free consultation. You will speak to an experienced telecom specialist who will ask you questions about your telecom system and provide you with a high-level review.

PURCHASING or PROCURING A PHONE SYSTEM?

CALL A CONSULTANT FIRST!

Installing a new phone system calls for important business decisions. Because there are so many choices, you need to make sure that the system you are planning will meet all your needs today and in the future--and that you can get all the capability you need at a price you can afford. The best way to achieve these objectives is to hire an experienced telecom consultant to help you make the best decisions.

Energy Savers Consulting has Helped Hundreds of Companies Install Business Phone Systems

Energy Savers Consulting has been helping organizations design, purchase, install and manage telecom systems since 1994. As a result of Energy Savers Consulting's services clients saved money on their new and expanded telecom systems. But there are other benefits as well. Energy Savers Consulting clients have obtained the peace of mind of knowing that they have chosen the best equipment to meet their needs for local and long distance service, data and wireless, call center and VoIP now and into the future.

 Why It Pays to Use a Consultant

 Purchasing and installing a phone system means making a lot of important decisions. What features do you need today? What special telecom needs does your organization have? Can you simply expand your old system or should you replace old technology from the ground up. How and why do wireless services or VoIP fit in? How do you know which vendors will do the best job? Because telecom is so important and has so many levels of technology and detail, most organizations don't have the in-house talent to manage the design and installation of a new phone system. And because of the large number of equipment choices and technical methodologies, it is unrealistic to look to vendors for impartial advice. It is important that when you need to install a new telecom system that you hire a consultant who is totally impartial, who does not represent any vendor or manufacturer, and who works only for you.

Energy Savers Consulting Has the Expertise You Need

Energy Savers Consulting has been helping its clients plan and install new telecom systems for the last decade. The reason for this track record of success is talent and experience. The average consultant has over 20 years of industry experience, much of it with major telecom players including carriers. As a result, Energy Savers Consulting knows what features are available and they have the experience to analyze your organization to measure your needs today and in the future.

Energy Savers Consulting Provides Complete Comprehensive Services

To make sure that you end up with the most productive telecom system at the best price, Energy Savers Consulting will provide a comprehensive range of services:

• Evaluate your needs
• Interview your key people
• Inventory your existing system
• Determine opportunities for savings and/or upgrades
• Produce a detailed RFP for vendors
• Review vendor proposals
• Produce a report with recommendations
• Present the report to management
• Negotiate vendor contract(s)
• Supervise installation.

 A Consultant MUST be Impartial

To provide value to clients, a consultant MUST be totally impartial and cannot represent or earn sales commissions from the sale of any particular product or vendor. Energy Savers Consulting has a policy of representing its clients 100%. Energy Savers Consulting believes that having this policy is the only way to assure that every client will get to choose from the full range of product offerings and arrive at a telecom system that is best for their particular budget and business needs.

FREE BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEM CONSULTATION

If you want to receive feedback from an experienced phone system specialists about your plans for a new or expanded telecom system or if you plan to move your system, call or email today for a free consultation. You will speak to an experienced telecom specialist who will ask you questions about your telecom systems and provide you with a high-level review so you will be able to decide with confidence on the best system for your needs.

TELECOM SERVICE ASSESSMENT IS THE FIRST STEP TO SAVINGS

A thorough telecommunications service assessment of the systems and services in use throughout an organization will provide a complete evaluation of the structure, reliability, vulnerability and effectiveness of the system.

Most corporate information systems were not designed to perform all the tasks for which they are responsible today. Growth, acquisition or relocation plus the inherent problems of speed and reliability have forced many organizations to re-examine their networks.

Energy Savers Consulting can assess and optimize your network

The information network is an ever-evolving system designed to serve the information storage and delivery needs of the organization. Energy Savers Consulting specializes in communication network design, expansion and relocation.

A regular network performance evaluation, including an annual review of the information system’s strategic plans, is important to assure that system functionality will meet the future business needs of the organization.

Many businesses have a patchwork of systems and carrier provided services that have evolved over the years through company growth, carrier insolvency, business acquisition or disparities in regional carrier systems. At a summary level the Energy Savers Consulting Telecom Services Assessment seeks to identify and review all telecom invoices from all carriers. The assessment inventories all equipment in all locations and reviews contractual liabilities, opportunities or vulnerabilities with appropriate users and managers.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you cut telecom expenses

TELECOM COST SAVINGS REQUIRES BOTH STRATEGY AND TACTICS

If you want an efficient, productive telecom system, ideally you need to evaluate your needs and develop the best strategies to meet those needs using the most efficient and enabling technology.

Energy Savers Consulting will help develop a comprehensive strategy

The specialists who design your system must understand your needs and understand the most efficient and cost-effective way to meet them. Most corporate information systems were not designed to perform all the tasks for which they are responsible today. Growth, acquisition or relocation plus the inherent problems of speed and reliability have forced many organizations to re-examine their networks.

The information network is an ever-evolving system designed to serve the information storage and delivery needs of the organization. Energy Savers Consulting specializes in communication network design, expansion and relocation.

Energy Savers Consulting will take action to implement and assess 

A regular network performance evaluation, including an annual review of the information system’s strategic plans, is important to assure that system functionality will meet the future business needs of the organization.

Energy Savers Consulting creates the evaluation criteria, assesses growth history and future plans. We then conduct a “live” usage review to ascertain how the entity retrieves and uses information. Audits conducted by our consultants have saved significant labor costs and resulted in the institution of new methods that optimize the network. In some cases Energy Savers Consulting helped eliminate the need for system replacement, which can easily mean the difference between a quarterly profit or loss for many organizations.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you cut telecom expenses

ARE YOU READY FOR MPLS?

Multiple Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is the new technology that nobody can ignore. Over a decade ago, frame relay technology was developed to create a cheaper alternative to leased line. Frame technology has been hugely successful, but it is a connection-oriented technology developed from the telephone side of the industry. On the other hand MPLS is a “connection-less” or IP technology developed on the Internet side of the industry. MPLS is a faster, new technology that offers many benefits both in terms of functionality and pricing.  But is it right for you?

THE BENEFITS OF MPLS

MPLS can provide, faster communication speeds, improved scalability, increased resiliency and recovery, more flexibility, greater integration with IP resources and lower pricing than traditional frame relay offerings. While it is true that MPLS is a strategic product offering from the carriers, it is an important development and can be a strategic choice for your organization as well.

 Is MPLS in your network design plans? Should MPLS integrate, augment, or replace your existing Frame Relay, ATM or Private Line network? And if so, to what degree? If you don’t learn about the benefits of MPLS now, can it make you less competitive in the long run?

ENERGY SAVERS CONSULTING KNOWS MPLS

Energy Savers Consulting has been helping clients evaluate and install new technologies since 1994.  Energy Savers Consulting gets results because we independently evaluate new technology, regardless of vendor, based upon its capability—not its marketing or advertising hype. Call us today for free telephone evaluation of the ways in which MPLS can be a competitive tool for you and to learn the most effective ways to integrate MPLS into your network.

CALL FOR FREE MPLS EVALUATION

Determining if MPLS makes sense for you requires an analysis of your current network and your future needs. Why not call and speak to one of our MPLS experts? There is no cost or obligation.

Risk Management Services

BUSINESS CONTINUITY / DISASTER RECOVERY SERVICES

Enterprise recovery planning identifies potential business risks, minimizes potential for occurrence and develops actions to respond and recover from a business interruption.

Energy Savers Consulting Specializes in Keeping Your Business up and running

A "Business Continuity" plan protects businesses and their employees from unplanned events that can adversely affect their firm. Energy Savers Consulting takes the program one step further with an optional maintenance program that provides timely plan re-evaluation and program updates.

The Energy Savers Consulting business continuity team can benefit your organization by assessing your current level of preparedness for an unplanned event by:

• Identifying risks and vulnerabilities to client’s business operations, and the potential impact of those issues
• Reviewing systems, policies, staffing and recovery plans
• Defining prevention, response, and recovery strategies for dealing with disaster scenarios
• Developing preventive measures to minimize potential for disasters
• Developing mitigation strategies to minimize the severity of an event to the firm
• Developing and implementing recovery plans that provide detailed procedures to deal with emergency situations
• Developing and implementing crisis management procedures for responding to emergency situations
• Preparing and conducting awareness and training programs as part of plan rollout activities
• Conducting recovery plan exercises serves as basis to document and create maintenance and update paths for the plan.

NETWORK SECURITY / FRAUD PROTECTION

The cold reality of Internet security is, "there is no such thing as complete protection." The growth of  e-business combined with the work of cyber hackers, losses resulting from virus infections and defaced websites illustrate the vulnerabilities of even the best-protected portals.

Energy Savers Consulting Can Help Protect Your Network

Amplified by the media and reinforced through our own experiences, businesses are beginning to understand the financial and competitive impacts from inadequate system safeguards.

Energy Savers Consulting network security consultants provide a wide-range of services to assure senior management of the most up-to-date systems and methods to protect vital information, and shelter the interest of their customers and shareholders.

A successful Information Security Policy communicates to an organization that information is a valuable corporate asset and that everyone is responsible and accountable for protecting it. The security policy is a visible representation of security considerations, requirements, priorities, assumptions and responsibilities.

Energy Savers Consulting can help reduce fraud in your network

Energy Savers Consulting can create a customized information security policy for your organization that includes the following:

• A cost benefit analysis of security measures to manage risk and protect corporate assets
• Assurance against policy inconsistencies while defining appropriate behavior for users and administrators and clarify organizational objectives
• Create preparedness for dealing with incidents and the implementation of countermeasures if required.
• Limit liability resulting from unauthorized and potentially unlawful disclosure of information.

EXPERT WITNESS SERVICES

Because of its expertise and experience, Energy Savers Consulting is called upon by clients to provide expert witness testimony in arbitrations and before courts of law. Expert witness testimony is important because the telecom industry is so specialized that it often requires an industry expert to shed light on a dispute.

Energy Savers Consulting can testify for you

Energy Savers Consulting is a telecom expert. We know the billing process and understand the invoicing methods used by every carrier. We also have experience working with all major local, long distance and cellular companies. If you have been overcharged, or charged unfairly we will show you how and how much. If you have a contract dispute with a carrier, we will appear for you to explain the merits of your case.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you cut telecom expenses

MORE PRODUCTIVITY FROM A DIVERSE TELECOM NETWORK

Deregulation of the telecom industry has brought explosive growth and innovation but it has also brought incompatibilities, competition and frustration.  If your telecom network is made of components from diverse manufacturers, a skilled consultant may be the best way for you to achieve the seamless integration and communication you are seeking.

Energy Savers Consulting Has the Answer for Network Diversity

Many networks were never intended to handle the many additional functions they are now expected to handle. For example in addition to sophisticated telephony services with attractive pricing, many enterprises now demand other services such as voice mail, Internet access, multi-media, unifed messaging, automatiic call distribution, interactive voice response, computer telephony integration, email, wireless access, and VoIP.

The job of analyzing and assessing all the parts of a diverse network and determining how best to fashion a productive efficient network is not trivial. It is a task that requires technical knowledge and a complete knowledge of the full range of available products. It is a daunting task, but if your organization wants to retain its competitive edge you need to fine tune your network and add new and innovative services cheaply and quickly. Because of the growing importance of the Internet, you also need to develop high-bandwidth backbone infrastructures and manage the growth in mobile and Internet traffic while reducing operational and management costs.

Energy Savers Consulting is a leader in Network Diversity Consulting

We have over a decade of experience helping our clients fine-tune and expand their diverse networks to make them more productive and cost-effective.

A SMALL IMPROVEMENT IN A CONTRACT CAN MEAN BIG SAVINGS

When you sit down to negotiate a telecom contract, you are at a distinct disadvantage unless you are represented by a knowledgeable aggressive telecom consultant. 

Energy Savers Consulting can help develop more favorable contracts and SLAs

Energy Savers Consulting Carrier/Vendor Services group aggressively seeks out the most cost-effective rate plans for our clients. Our staff is skills in maintaining current intelligence on rate plans of all major carriers plus federal and state regulations and tariffs. Because the basic rate structures have become so complicated, this service includes a regular review throughout the life of the relationship.

Client service and maintenance is a key part of your vendor contracts. Unfortunately, many telecom customers do not realize that these features can change drastically, often at the whim of the service provider. Energy Savers Consulting specializes in enforcing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to make sure that you get the level of service you are paying for.

Our clients greatly appreciate the help we provide in quantifying service issues, making sure value added services are delivered and articulating and demanding the full package of services defined in agreements. 

Energy Savers Consulting will assess your current carrier contracts and implement a comprehensive provider agreement to take advantage of the most competitive rates while also addressing your service level requirements. We can even develop and manage contracts from multiple carriers to make sure you save money.

Energy Savers Consulting provides a complete range of services to help you reduce telecom expenses

Contact: Jay Draiman – dba Energy Savers

Web: www.energysavers2.com

Email: energysavers1@hotmail.com

Jay Draiman Energy Development Specialist provides expertise in all sectors of the energy/utility industry.

Over 20 years experience. Specializing in: Energy Audit, Demand Management, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Lighting Retrofit, Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Fuel-Cell, Thermal imaging, Rainwater harvesting, Energy conservation, telecom audit and services, energy seminars.

Much is at stake when policy makers, regulators, and corporate executives face the challenges of evolving energy markets and efficiency.

YJay Draiman

Energy Consultant

Energy Savers

9420 Reseda Blvd.

,

Northridge, CA 91324

818-270-6319

Email: renewableenergy2@msn.com