Energy Savers Overview (by Jay Draiman)

Energy Savers Overview (by Jay Draiman)

About Us: Company Overview

ENERGY SAVERS Consulting is a professional cost management consulting firm specializing in solutions to reduce energy (electricity, gas, oil, petroleum, water/sewer and steam) and telecommunications expenses. We provide a broad range of services to meet the specific needs of our clients - including audit, rate optimization, procurement, conservation, on-line utility data management services and market pricing research. Our objective is to help businesses and utility intensive organizations make more informed utility purchasing decisions, recover overpayments and implement cost reduction strategies - improving their overall profitability.

At present, ENERGY SAVERS Consulting employs over 475 professionals in 11 fully-staffed international offices. We provide consulting services to over 20,000 businesses around the world ranging from multi-national corporations to local businesses with a single location. Our clients represent a broad spectrum of industries including mining, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, pharmaceutical, financial services, hospitality, and government agencies.

To our clients, ENERGY SAVERS Consulting is the consultant of choice because of our industry leadership, experience and international presence. Our global relationships, coupled with our unique understanding of local markets, suppliers and cultures, help us consistently deliver high quality advice and service.

About Us: History

since 1988 we have helped utility intensive organizations manage and reduce their costs.

The founder of ENERGY SAVERS Consulting and, in fact, the architect of the entire utility cost management industry was Theodore E. Maynard. While attending university, Mr. Maynard discovered that utility suppliers were not required to provide consumers the most cost effective rate option available. Choosing the "best rate” was ultimately the responsibility of each consumer. Recognizing the burden and additional cost placed on consumers, Mr. Maynard created ENERGY SAVERS consulting in 1933 to help utility intensive organizations better manage and reduce their energy costs.

Starting from a single office in New York City, ENERGY SAVERS Consulting has grown into 11 international offices employing over 450 professionals. ENERGY SAVERS Consulting currently advises 20,000 clients ranging from multi-national corporations to single location enterprises. Our clients represent a broad spectrum of industries including mining, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, pharmaceutical, financial services, hospitality, and government agencies.

The driving force behind much of ENERGY SAVERS Consulting’s growth was Jay Draiman. Starting his career in 1977 as a property manager, he advanced through the organization and ultimately became Director in April 2001. Building ENERGY SAVERS consulting from the Real Estate family in 1990, he led ENERGY SAVERS Consulting for an additional 8 years. Under his stewardship, ENERGY SAVERS Consulting built ENERGY SAVERS, expanded its international network and made the implementation of new technologies a priority.

Today, ENERGY SAVERS Consulting is led by Jay Draiman and his staff. Together, they are committed to building upon ENERGY SAVERS Consulting’s long-standing tradition of success and industry leadership.

About Us: Message From the director

Message from the Director

Over the course of the past decade the global utility markets have undergone a fundamental transformation. The movement toward liberalization and the opening of national markets has produced a number of unexpected side effects including increased complexity, supplier consolidation and price volatility. As a result, utility intensive organizations are facing far greater challenges in managing their utility costs than ever before.

At ENERGY SAVERS Consulting we recognize the difficulties today’s businesses face. That is why we provide a broad range of services specifically designed to meet our clients’ needs in an efficient and cost effective manner. Our services can be used in a complementary role to existing internal initiatives or to outsource the entire utility cost management process. Moreover, ENERGY SAVERS Consulting has the capability to provide services on a global, regional or local basis. Our objective is to develop innovative utility cost management solutions drawing on our expertise, relationships, market intelligence and international presence to provide our clients a quantifiable competitive cost advantage.

For over 20 years ENERGY SAVERS Consulting has been the leader in the utility cost management industry. Our success has been built upon the dedication and creativity of our worldwide staff, reputation and core belief that our clients’ interests are our first priority. As a privately held, independent organization we are free from the influence of utility suppliers and other market players. We understand that our future success depends upon our ability to add value to our clients’ businesses.

As the global utility markets continue to evolve so too will our organization and services. Our goal is to consistently meet and exceed our clients’ expectations. With ENERGY SAVERS Consulting’s help, our clients have saved billions in unnecessary utility expenses. I am confident that given the opportunity we can reduce your annual utility expenses and increase your profitability.

Sincerely,

Jay Draiman

About Us: Core Values

our core value drive our conduct

Throughout the world, every member of the ENERGY SAVERS Consulting organization is dedicated to the following guiding principles:

Clients are our first priority.
Our mission is to add value to our clients' businesses through service, information, and strategic solutions.

People are our most valuable asset.
We must attract, inspire and reward talented and motivated people and provide them with a supportive environment.

Integrity without compromise.
We will only accept the highest moral and ethical standards in dealing with our clients and each other.

Pride in the quality of our work.
We will continue to lead our industry through creativity, innovation and teamwork.

Excellence through passion.
We must always conduct ourselves in a professional manner and strive to excel at everything we do.

Commitment to one another.
We are dedicated to continuously improving ENERGY SAVERS and its overall success.

About Us: Senior Management

Jay Draimam is the director of ENERGY SAVERS consulting with primary responsibility for the development and implementation of information technology. When Jay Draiman joined ENERGY SAVERS in 1992.

Jay Draiman duties at ENERGY SAVERS consulting with primary responsibility for day-to-day business operations. He received his knowledge from electrical engineering school in New York, various seminars and practical experience of over 25 years.

About Us: FAQ

our goal is to work in partnership with our clients

How “big” does my organization have to be to qualify for service?
To qualify for our Cost Control Program, an organization must have at least one location that meets our minimum spend criteria. Our minimum spend criteria varies by country but is typically set between $50,000 and $100,000 per annum. This requirement, however, may be waived depending upon the circumstances of a particular business – e.g., businesses with multiple and/or international locations.

How do we enroll and initiate service?
To initiate our Cost Control Program an organization is required to sign a service agreement and provide us with their most recent energy and telecommunications invoices and supply contracts.

When can we expect our first analysis report?
Once, we have received an organization’s most recent energy and telecommunications invoices and supply contracts, we will issue our initial analysis report in approximately 6 to 8 weeks. We will issue subsequent analysis reports as new cost reduction opportunities are identified.

Are we required to implement ENERGY SAVERS Consulting’s recommendations?
No. Unlike other utility audit firms, ENERGY SAVERS Consulting does not require clients to implement any of our recommendations. The implementation of recommendations is subject to a client approval – control rests with the client.

How is ENERGY SAVERS Consulting compensated for its services?
Generally, we provide our Cost Control Program on a performance or contingent fee basis – sharing in refunds and savings for a predefined period. Under this arrangement, if an organization does not realize refunds or savings – they pay nothing.

In addition to our Cost Control Program, we offer a number of other support services on either a contingent, fixed or subscription basis. We understand the needs of clients differ and therefore are flexible in developing compensation strategies to fit their requirements.

How are savings calculated?
Where services are provided on a performance or contingent basis – ENERGY SAVERS Consulting shares in savings realized from the implementation of its recommendations. We calculate savings as the difference between the amount paid by a client subsequent to the implement of our recommendation and amount the client would have paid had they not otherwise altered their purchasing arrangements.

What We Know About Building Ventilation

What We Know About Building Ventilation

• Indoor air can be 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air.  Learn More
• Outdoor air reduces indoor air pollution improving IAQ
• Low outdoor air ventilation rates result  in health risks to building occupants
• Higher outdoor air rates not  only improve occupant health, but also increase productivity - more is better!
• Conditioning outdoor air can represent 40% of an HVAC system's capacity 
• Everyone wants to keep energy costs low
• A primary cause of indoor moisture problems is moisture laden outdoor air entering the building

“Can the energy crises be overcome?” – I say yes!

“Can the energy crises be overcome?” – I say yes!

I think that the public, the government and corporate America should treat these energy crises as a danger to our way of life.

During World War II, the America we know unified in a common cause. Everyone rolled their sleeves to chip in and Americans produced an enormous amount of hardware for the war effort. “I see a solution within 36 months”.

If we as a nation can really appreciate and understand the severity and enormity of the energy crises, the catastrophic impact on our economic stability and civilization,

we must unite and do whatever is necessary to produce other forms of energy and overcome this energy and economic crises “by putting all politics and egos aside and look for the good of our nation”.

Jay Draiman, Northridge, CA

PS

ENERGY

Soaring gas prices, record oil company profits, unsustainable trade deficits, soldiers dying in Iraq’s deserts and catastrophic climate change— conservative energy policy is running us toward ruin. We urgently need to stop subsidizing dirty fossil fuels and start investing in a clean energy economy. In 1961, President Kennedy challenged us to send a man to the moon within a decade and launched the Apollo plan to make it happen. Now we need a similar vision—an Apollo initiative for energy independence, mobilizing science and technology and investing in energy efficiency and alternative energy.

The benefits are immense. We can create jobs, capture growing global green energy markets, eliminate our dependence on Persian Gulf oil, reduce our trade deficit, improve our children’s health and end the catastrophic threat of global warming. It’s time to act.

THIS IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN SENDING A MAN TO THE MOON.

“Determination and perseverance will bring your goal to fruition” – never give-up

Use renewable energy to extract oil shale deposits

Use renewable energy to extract oil shale deposits

The trillion barrel oil shale and oil sand deposits in North America offer the potential to make the less energy dependent on unreliable foreign sources. However, if these unconventional deposits were produced using existing combustion processes, substantial CO₂ emissions would be injected into air.

To avoid this green house gas problem and yet produce liquid fuels, a wind powered electro thermal energy storage system is described. It stores the unpredictable intermittent wind electrical energy as thermal energy over long periods in thick fossil hydrocarbon deposits. Because thermal diffusion time is very slow in such deposits, thermal energy is effectively trapped in a defined section of the hydrocarbon deposit. This allows time for the thermal energy to convert hydrocarbons into gaseous and liquid fuels. The process is highly energy-efficient and makes available considerably more energy than was expended during the heating. In addition, the method can increase the reliability of the grid and provide a load-leveling function. The wind-powered electro thermal conversion method produces substantially less CO₂ than traditional shale oil extraction processes or renewable energy processes that employ a combustion step to produce the fuel.

In order to reduce the use of fossil fuel, renewable energy such as Solar and Wind should be utilized to extract the oil from shale. Additionally renewable energy should be used to power up the pumps that bring water from areas of the country where water is plentiful. Also utilize renewable energy to deliver the end product OIL to its ultimate destination for processing.

In short wherever and whenever possible utilize renewable energy to produce and ship oil and its derivatives to its various destinations.

The use of renewable energy technologies will enhance and expedite the technological advancement of renewable energy and maximize the efficiency.

We should also utilize renewable energy to produce hydrogen from water.

Cost of ENERGY has been going up since 2000, and it will keep going up as long as world population increases and various industrial and developing nations demand for energy increases.

There is no way around – we must develop renewable energy and increase the current renewable energy technology’s efficiency and reduce cost to the end-user.

Has anyone considered using the oil shale deposits in Colorado? The U.S. has the largest reserves of oil shale in the world by far. In a RAND Corporation report in 2005, it stated that oil shale production would be economically viable when oil reached $75 dollar per barrel.

Efficient Lighting saves energy

Efficient Lighting

Incandescent lights are basically electric space heaters that give off light as a byproduct. They are VERY inefficient, wasting most of the power they consume as heat.

Since lights are one of the biggest power uses in a remote home, pay close attention to what kind you use. If you replace all of your lights with efficient versions, you may be able to get by with fewer expensive batteries and solar panels.

You may have noticed that we've made major changes to this page. This is because of new information given to us by some lighting experts regarding lighting efficiency. Our thanks to Don Klipstein and Victor Roberts for the engineering lessons...

Otherpower.com's lighting recommendations in a nutshell: For best efficiency, use fluorescents of any type. Install standard fluorescents in workspaces where you can stand the blue-tinged light, hum and flicker. Use compact flourescents in living spaces for a more 'friendly' ambiance. Use halogen lighting for outdoor applications where temperature causes problems with fluorescents. Use white LED lighting for applications that normally use dismally-efficient small incandescents...task lights, nightlights, pathway lighting, exit signs, and flashlights. Don't use incandescent lighting at all if you can afford to avoid it.



Lighting Efficiency Ratings

A standard way of rating lighting efficiency is in lumens per watt--this figure accounts for all of the light produced by a bulb. This rating does not necessarily reflect how much usable light is is thrown on your work area. The reflector and fixture will have a large effect on this. So be sure to read our guidelines for each type of lighting discussed below--lights that show a lower efficiency may still save you energy depending on the application. Be aware of the different ways that lighting efficiency can be represented. For example, there's a big difference between two common LED manufacturer's efficiency specs -- some show only lumens per watt of light output, while others show lumens per watt used by the LED. The latter is useful information, a true efficiency rating. The former does not include power wasted as heat, and is useless for evaluating lighting in an off-grid home.

• 32 watt T8 fluorescent--85 to 95 lumens/watt
• standard F40T12 cool white fluorescent--60-65 lumens/watt
• compact fluorescents--low 30's to low 60's lumens per watt, usually 48-60
• UPDATE 12-2006 -- The newest white LEDs shipping from manufacturers in 2006 are approaching the efficiency of compact fluorescents, into the 50-60 lumens/watt range. At this time, however, there are no RE lighting products that use these new LEDs, and they remain extremely expensive. Manufacturer's research labs are also reporting new white LEDs that approach the 80+ lumens/watt of T8 fluorescents. However, these products are not shipping yet.
• T3 tubular halogen--20 lumens/watt
• white LED--15-19 lumens/watt
• standard 100 watt incandescent--17 lumens/watt
• incandescent night light bulb (7w)--6 lumens/watt
• incandescent flashlight bulbs--dismal, less than 6 lumens/watt

But wait! What about all the white LED high-efficiency claims that are all over...including the claims that used to be on this site? Unfortunately, much of this information is incorrect. Comparing the efficiency of a white LED light with a compact fluorescent by measuring the intensity of a tiny spot within the beam does NOT give proper efficiency results. We got much of our data for efficiency claims from an article in Home Power Magazine

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy Solar
Photovoltaics (PV) involve the conversion of energy from the sun into electricity by means of semiconductors. The solar energy excites electrons so that they break free from their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the semiconductor material to produce electricity.
There are a number of PV technologies including polycrystalline, mono-crystalline and thin-film. Solar PV cells are generally arranged in panels. In smaller applications they can be installed on a building's roof or walls and feed electricity directly into the building for use as lighting or power or alternatively feed into the electricity grid. In larger applications the panels can be installed in greater quantities as dedicated energy generation facilities and feed into the electricity grid to supply whole communities.
Wind
The use of wind as a renewable energy resource involves harnessing the power contained in moving air. Wind represents a vast source of energy which man has harnessed for hundreds of years.
Wind turbines are mounted on towers to optimize energy capture. At 30 meters or more above ground, they can take advantage of the faster and less turbulent wind. Turbines catch the wind's energy with their propeller-like blades. Usually, two or three blades are mounted on a shaft to form a rotor. Wind turbines use aerodynamic forces ('lift' and 'drag') to produce mechanical power that can then be converted to electricity.
Wind turbines can be used as stand-alone applications for water pumping or communications, or they can be connected to a utility power grid.
Small wind generators rated at a few watts are available for battery charging and meeting small on-site power needs etc. Large-scale generation of electricity requires building a large number of wind turbines to form wind farms. The machines are usually spaced around five rotor diameters apart to ensure they do not interfere with each other's performance.
Wind farms can be situated either onshore or offshore. The latter is an arena which is just beginning to be significantly developed but which has enormous potential.
Tidal
Tidal energy exploits the natural ebb and flow of coastal tidal waters caused principally by the interaction of the gravitational fields of the Earth-Moon-Sun system.
The coastal water level fluctuates twice daily, alternatively filling and emptying natural basins along the shoreline. The currents flowing in and out of these basins can be exploited to turn mechanical devices to produce electricity. A variant of tidal energy is tidal stream (or marine current) technology. Tidal streams are fast sea currents created by the tides, often magnified by topographical features such as headlands and inlets and straits or by the shape of the seabed.
The technology required to convert tidal energy into electricity is very similar to that used in traditional hydroelectric power plants. The first requirement in tidal energy is a dam or 'barrage' across a tidal bay or estuary. Gates and turbines are installed along the dam. When there is an adequate difference in the height of water on either side of the dam the gates are opened. This 'hydrostatic head' that is created causes water to flow through the turbines, turning an electric generator to produce electricity. Electricity can be generated by water flowing both into and out of a bay. As there are two high and two low tides each day, electrical generation from tidal power plants is characterized by periods of maximum generation every 12 hours.
Wave
The energy contained in ocean waves can potentially provide an unlimited source of renewable energy.
Ocean waves are created by the interaction of wind with the surface of the sea. Waves are a dense form of energy compared, for example, to the wind. Because water is much denser than air, so the energy required to move a volume of water is far greater than that needed to move the same volume of air.
Wave energy can be extracted and converted into electricity by wave power machines. They can be deployed either on the shoreline or in the deeper waters offshore.
Biomass
Biomass, also known as biofuels or bioenergy, is obtained from organic matter either directly from plants or indirectly from industrial, commercial, domestic or agricultural products.
The use of biomass is classed as a 'carbon neutral' process because the carbon dioxide released during the generation of energy from biomass is balanced by that absorbed by plants during their growth.
Biomass falls into two main groups.
Woody biomass - forest products, untreated wood products, waste wood, straw, and energy crops such as willow and poplar.
Non-woody biomass - human and animal wastes e.g. slurry, chicken litter, industrial and municipal biodegradable wastes including food processing wastes. Also high energy crops such as rape, wheat, barley and sugar beet, sugar cane and maize, which can be processed to produce the biofuels, bioethanol and biodiesel.
Biomass can be converted into heat and electricity in a number of ways. Depending on its source, these processes include: burning, pyrolysis, gasification, anaerobic digestion or fermentation.

Energy Efficiency

Innovating to Save Energy - Efficiency and the Smart Grid Most people would be outraged if the box of cereal they purchased was 90% air. But a typical incandescent bulb is 90% inefficient--only 10% of the energy used actually makes light. The rest is lost as unwanted heat and actually increases our need for air conditioning! But more efficient stereos, refrigerators, building material, and other products are replacing their energy-wasting predecessors. And new technology is available to transform our old power grid into a smart grid--one that is more reliable and can more efficiently manage and distribute energy. Not only do efficient technologies help the environment by lowering carbon emissions, they save money over their lifetimes. Efficiency must be a critical piece of America's energy future. Efficiency can meet our energy demand more cleanly, quickly and cost-effectively than any other available supply option. And it offers a bridge between the conventional fossil fuel-based power of today and the clean power of tomorrow. What do we need to do to become more energy efficient? Our ApproachDomestic: Energy consultants wants to change the way utilities are regulated to make energy efficiency the first fuel of choice in the U.S. We are forming a Task Force of commercial and industrial energy users, electric utilities, banks, labor unions, and non-profit groups. International: The consultants, recently released a report by a distinguished group of energy efficiency experts on how to improve efficiency in G8 and major developing countries. It said industrialized countries could double their rate of improvement in energy efficiency. U.S. ObjectivesIntelligent Utility Regulation: Currently, utilities make their money by building power plants and selling electricity. This policy, which does not reward efficiency, unnecessarily burdens ratepayers and contributes to environmental problems associated with energy use. Meanwhile, utilities are finding it increasingly difficult to build new power plants. The U.S. should implement proven policies that provide incentives for utilities to promote efficiency. Modernize the Electricity Grid: The U.S. power grid--our system for moving electricity from power plants to homes and offices--needs to be digitized and modernized. Not only does the existing infrastructure leak energy, but the Northeast blackout of 2003 showed that it is extremely fragile. Similarly, the grid is not equipped to support distributed energy (like wind and solar power) and advanced technology that will help manage energy use. Revamping the grid should be a national priority to enhance its security and reduce efficiency losses. National, state, and local policies can bring about a secure, efficient, and intelligent digital grid. Priorities Our goal is to double the rate of energy efficiency improvements within five years and modernize the grid within ten years. By investing in efficiency, we will gain an energy supply resource that is clean, cost-effective, and homegrown. Recommendation #1: Modernize the U.S. electric power grid--from the point where energy is made to where it is used--to reduce energy loss, improve security and reliability, facilitate better electrical load management, and enable smart sensing, metering, and monitoring technology. Recommendation #2: Flip the existing incentive structure for regulated utilities to reward them for generating energy savings rather than for constructing new energy supply. Making efficiency profitable will unlock the creativity and power of the private sector to implement existing efficiency plans more aggressively and to develop innovative new approaches. Recommendation #3: Encourage the passage of pro-efficiency legislation, such as strong building codes or appliance efficiency standards either at the national or state level. For example: Investment incentives: Federal co-funding for state, utility spending on energy efficiency above a per-capita minimum; estimated cost $1.9 billion/year. Expand Energy Star: Increase the budget to $140 million and expand the products covered. By adopting these recommendations, we can save 225 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and $15 billion on energy bills. Efficiency training: Training program for building industry and industrial energy managers.