FAIR LAWN, N.J. — CALMAC®, a supplier of ice-based energy storage systems, has announced a new energy bill analysis service for commercial building owners and facility or energy managers. The free online service allows organizations to upload a copy of an electricity bill through the CALMAC website to be analyzed by a rate specialist. The specialist will review the bill to identify savings that can be achieved by shifting a building’s cooling load to nighttime off-peak hours, when energy is in low demand and can be nearly 50 percent cheaper than peak daytime hours. With this new service, CALMAC said it is providing companies that have over 500,000 square feet of air conditioned space, a first-hand look at how they can benefit significantly from reducing peak electricity demand.
“A large majority of commercial building owners and managers do not fully understand how demand affects the bottom line of their electricity bill and they mistakenly assume that energy for commercial buildings is priced the same as it is in residential buildings,” said Mark MacCracken, CEO of CALMAC. “Utility billing formats can obscure the value of consuming nighttime electricity, but with our new service, we offer a clear view into true electricity pricing. We factor in demand tariffs and other charges that aren’t clearly labeled or fully explained in a statement and show how ice-based energy storage can benefit the bottom line.”
The company said a common misconception is that if a building is not offered “time of use” pricing by the utility, then it is using a “flat rate,” implying that there is no difference between day and night costs. However, once demand penalties are exposed, the difference in the cost between nighttime vs. daytime energy usage becomes apparent. CALMAC’s new service shows these differences, bringing a new level of transparency into energy charges.
CALMAC’s IceBank® storage tanks take advantage of lower off peak rates by permanently shifting the energy required for cooling operations to off-peak hours. The tanks store energy at night, in the form of ice, when demand is low. The next day, when energy rates are at their highest, the system melts the ice to cool occupants, while at the same time lowering energy usage during peak demand hours. By decoupling when cooling is made from when it is needed and maximizing utility rate structures, building owners and managers are able to have more control over their utility bills and lower operating costs.
To learn more about this free service, visit www.calmac.com/lower-cooling-costs.
Publication date: 3/16/2015
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