Energy Answers for your Business

Craig Muccio runs FPL's Conservation Research & Development Program and crunches the numbers.

Question:
What can you tell me about this new "spray on" insulation that some businesses are using on the underside of their roof? Also, is the old attic insulation still needed after the product is applied?
– Bob G., Bradenton

Answer:

If you would like to increase your attic insulation level, spray foam insulation may be a good option for you. It can be sprayed into walls, ceilings, floors, crawlspaces and attics at any point. Insulation like rigid foam board may be installed under roofing material when installing a new roof.​

If your building has a sealed, unvented attic, spraying foam on the underside of the roof provides increased savings compared to other attic insulation products. In fact, spray foam insulation can seal the attic from outside air and provide an insulating value of R19, the recommended level. Attic insulation helps to keep your interior temperature at a comfortable level while your A/C unit doesn’t have to run as much.

Also, although your existing attic insulation may no longer provide much benefit, it can often be cost prohibitive to remove existing insulation. There is no harm in leaving the old insulation when applying new spray foam insulation. Find out about FPL’s Business Ceiling Insulation rebates.

Kathy Schmitt is a member of FPL's Business Program Management team, overseeing the Business Lighting and Building Envelope programs.

Your plan to defend your business against harsh sunrays is a wise one.

Installing window tinting can go a long way toward conserving energy while making the environment more comfortable for employees. It can also save flooring, furniture and fabrics from early demise to fading.

FPL's Business Building Envelope Program offers an incentive of up to $1 per square foot for window treatments of qualifying glass facing west, southwest or northwest. Eligible treatment types include solar film, solar screens and high-efficiency window replacements.

Given your description of “severe heat” radiating into your building, it’s likely that your front window faces southwest. If this is the case, simply follow these three steps to get started on your window-treatment rebate process:

1. Select a qualifying energy-efficient window treatment.
2. Search for an FPL Participating Independent Contractor.
3. Contact your participating independent contractor to get started.

There may be additional ways to reduce energy costs and gain FPL rebates for your business. To learn more about our Business Building Envelope Program and other available incentives, visit http://www.fpl.com/business/energy_saving/programs/exterior/window.shtml.

Kathy Schmitt is a member of FPL's Business Program Management team, overseeing the Business Lighting and Building Envelope programs.

Question:
I was once told that it takes more energy to turn a light on and off than it does to just leave it on for 10 minutes or so. Is this true?
Patricia H., Boca Raton

Answer:

There is a little extra electricity involved in turning a light on due to more power needed during startup. However, the amount used is less than it would be if you leave lights on. Therefore, we typically recommend turning off lights whenever they are not needed.

Factors you may want to consider, though, are the lifespan of the bulb, its efficiency and whether it has a warm-up stage after it’s turned on. The cost effectiveness of turning off lights depends on the type of bulb.

Linear fluorescent and CFL Lighting
For fluorescent lighting, the answer depends on the frequency and length of time you turn your lights on and off. The operating life of linear fluorescent and CFL bulbs is affected by the number of times they are switched on and off. You can generally extend the life of these bulbs by switching them on and off less frequently.

You’ll save energy by turning the light off, so you’ll need to determine if the savings outweighs the cost of replacing the light bulb if it fails early due to frequent switching.

LED Lighting
The operating life of an LED is unaffected by being turned on and off. Therefore, it’s always best to turn them off whenever they are not needed.

Halogen lighting
Halogen bulbs, while more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, are less efficient than CFLs and LEDs. They should be turned off when they’re not in use.

High-energy discharge (HID) lighting
HID lighting, such as metal halide bulbs, have to warm up after being turned on. They also have a cool-down state after being turned off, during which they can’t restart. Therefore, they should only be turned off when they will remain shut down for longer than 15 minutes. 

Incandescent Lighting
Incandescent lights should be turned off whenever they are not needed, because they are the least efficient type of lighting. Ninety percent of the energy they use is given off as heat, and only about 10 percent results in light.

Kathy Schmitt is a member of FPL's Business Program Management team, overseeing the Business Lighting and Building Envelope programs.

Yes, FPL offers an incentive of $15 per fixture for qualifying induction lamps installed by an FPL participating independent contractor (PIC). Information on incentives and PICs is available at www.FPL.com/bizlighting.

While certain induction products do qualify, this is not a common retrofit, as induction lighting systems can be more expensive than other efficient lighting technologies.  However, the life of induction is much longer – usually 100,000 hours compared to the 15,000-20,0000-hour life of a 400-watt metal halide HID lamp – so fixtures that have high maintenance costs, such as ones that are hard to reach and costly to replace, are often a good fit for this type of bulb.  The lamp you select is truly dependent on your facility’s individual needs, so it is always best to get a professional opinion – and you can start with one of FPL’s PICs. 

More common retrofits for a 400-watt metal halide HID lamp include:

• A pulse-start metal halide with electronic ballasts: Compared to a more traditional “probe-start” HID lamp, pulse-start metal halides offer a number of benefits, including: brighter light; more lumens per watt for greater efficiency; improved light output over time; a faster startup to achieve full brightness more quickly; and longer lamp life, which results in fewer replacements and lower maintenance costs over time.
• T5 high-output (T5HO) linear fluorescents with electronic ballasts:  Also known as F-bay by the industry, a replacement T5HO lamp is much more efficient. A typical four-lamp fixture replacement uses approximately 200 watts of electricity, compared to the more than 400 watts used by a 400-watt metal halide.  New T5HO lamps also produce better light and color quality, experience less light loss over the course of their lives, and provide instant-on characteristics to achieve full brightness immediately. The lamp life is similar to 400-watt HIDs.

For more information on fluorescent lamps, you may also visit FPL’s Business Energy Advisor online for helpful information on Full-Size Fluorescent Lamps or schedule a Business Energy Evaluation for more customized tips for your business.

Kathy Schmitt is a member of FPL's Business Program Management team, overseeing the Business Lighting and Building Envelope programs.

Question:
Which light bulb is better to use, CFL or LED? Should I be concerned about the mercury in CFL bulbs?

Answer:

The light bulb market is advancing at an astonishing rate as manufacturers race to create more and more efficient lighting that’s pleasing to the eye and easy on the budget. Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs both have brought huge efficiency improvements over the traditional bulb.

CFLs are a better value

Perspective on mercury levels

CFLs do contain a small amount of mercury—an average of four milligrams per bulb. This amount reflects a drop in CFL mercury content of about 20 percent in recent years. For perspective, an old mercury thermometer contains about 500 mg of mercury.

How to safely handle and dispose of CFLs

The mercury sealed inside the CFL tube is not released as long as the bulb remains unbroken. Always screw and unscrew CFL bulbs by holding the base, not the glass, and never forcefully twist the CFL into a light socket. If a CFL bulb does break or burn out, follow the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendations for recycling and/or disposing of CFLs safely.

To see how you can obtain an incentive for lighting upgrades to your business, visit. www.fpl.com/bizlighting. 

Craig Muccio runs FPL's Conservation Research & Development Program and crunches the numbers
to figure out how you can save by managing your energy use.

Fortunately, these energy phantoms account for only a tiny fraction of the energy use compared to when devices are “on.“ But, in an office or workplace, where you may have a number of electronic devices per employee, these costs can really add up.

Common energy phantoms in the workplace include anything operating in standby mode, with a power adaptor or transformer (often seen as a cube on the cord), or showing a constant digital display. Phantoms include items like:

• Copiers, printers and fax machines.
• Computers and computer monitors.
• Computer speakers.
• Cell phone chargers.

The best ways to keep energy phantoms at bay is by:

• Unplugging devices when they are not in use.
• Plugging multiple 'phantoms' into one power strip so that you can quickly and easily cut off power completely to multiple devices with one switch. Just be sure your computer doesn’t need to be left on overnight for software updates. If that’s the case, a “smart strip” might be the way to go. Smart strips will keep power flowing to devices that need it, while fully powering down non-essential items.
• Purchasing ENERGY STAR® qualified electronics when possible so that even when your devices are consuming a phantom load, they are consuming less energy.

Visit our Top Tips for businesses to learn additional ways to conserve energy.

Craig Muccio runs FPL's Conservation Research & Development Program and crunches the numbers
to figure out how you can save by managing your energy use.

• Find an FPL Participating Independent Contractor: Finding a PIC for FPL's Business Direct-Expansion A/C Program will help you understand what size A/C unit would be optimal for your business.*
• Participate in FPL’s Business DX A/C Program:  As mentioned above, this program will provide incentives based on the size, the type, and the efficiency of the new unit. Once the work is complete, and has been approved by FPL, the rebate will be paid to the customer or designated vendor. Qualifying units must meet set criteria, including exceeding Florida’s building code by 7 percent. 

As you go through this process, remember that a high-efficiency unit may cost more initially, but the operating cost savings could more than pay for the cost of upgrading the efficiency over time.  Here are the types of savings you might expect from qualifying DX air conditioners based on the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) (measure of cooling-mode efficiency representing ratio of total cooling capacity to electrical energy input) and hours of operation:

The additional investment in an efficient A/C should ideally be offset by energy savings. Unfortunately, while there is at least one major brand of solar-powered commercial A/C units available, the upfront costs of a solar unit cannot be offset by bill savings at this time. The decision to purchase a solar A/C unit would be made for environmental reasons.

For additional advice from an FPL energy expert on upgrading to a high-efficiency system, or qualifying for our DX A/C Program, you can schedule a free Business Energy Evaluation.

*PIC search applies if you’re pursuing a unit 5 tons or smaller.

Craig Muccio runs FPL's Conservation Research & Development Program and crunches the numbers
to figure out how you can save by managing your energy use.

Consumers are most likely to purchase a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) computer monitor, both of which demand a fraction of the CRT’s energy usage. When comparing the energy efficiency of LCD models to LED models, the most significant difference is the number of watts needed to power the monitor. An average LCD monitor requires about 28 watts, while an average LED monitor requires about half that amount, or 14 watts.

Assuming your office monitors are in use about eight hours and in sleep mode for 16 hours a day, five days a week, the LCD monitors require about $9 of electricity annually, and the LED monitors require about $4 annually. By switching, you have the potential to save about $5 per monitor, or about $1,000 a year.

Anne-Louise Seabury is FPL’s Electric Vehicles Program Manager. She attends numerous trade shows and community events as FPL’s ambassador for EVs.

We’re investing in a cleaner future: FPL was an early adopter of EV technology and today operates the largest green fleet of any investor-owned utility in the country, with 1,700 biodiesel-powered vehicles and 471 plug-in or hybrid-electric vehicles – including hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric bucket trucks. At the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative, FPL committed to convert our entire fleet of more than 2,400 company cars and trucks to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) by 2020. By December 2011, we had more than 40 EVs in our fleet, with plans to add more as they become commercially available.

The benefits of EV: Whether you're looking at converting company cars, a corporate fleet, buses, or even "off-road" vehicles – like forklifts, golf carts or tugs – to EVs, the benefits are clear for your bottom line, the environment and the safety of your employees:

• Cost savings: You can charge an EV for approximately 80 percent less than what you usually spend at the gas pump. Also, because our standard electric rates are below the national average, FPL customers can charge for even less. These savings have the potential to be substantial for business fleets.
• Emissions reduction: EVs powered by FPL’s electricity have 70 percent fewer emissions than gasoline-powered vehicles and are 37 percent cleaner than EVs powered by utilities in other parts of the U.S.
• Improved energy independence: The nation’s light-duty vehicle fleet accounts for roughly 45 percent of total U.S. oil consumption. Transitioning the fleet to EVs would reduce oil imports by more than three million barrels per day in 2030.
• Environmental responsibility: The environmental benefits of EVs – including emissions and oil reduction – can help companies brand themselves as sustainable and responsible.
• Health and safety: The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf are “Top Safety Picks” for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).  And all EVs produced by major auto manufacturers are held to the same safety standards set by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) as conventional vehicles. Additionally, electric vehicles, like forklifts in a factory setting, can contribute to quieter and cleaner work environments.
• Reliability: EVs are expected to be very reliable – they are simple and inexpensive to maintain, have far fewer moving parts and produce less heat than gas-powered vehicles – and therefore experience much less wear and tear. 

Supporting our customers: FPL’s EV Program will support customer adoption of EVs by:

• Addressing customer needs and expectations and serving as a source of information about electric vehicles and safe, affordable charging
• Ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place to maintain high levels of service reliability, which is currently among the best in the country and 38 percent better than the national average
• Supporting the expansion of the EV market in numerous ways, including adding more EVs to our fleet and engaging community leaders, commercial customers and other stakeholders on EV-related initiatives.

Fuel Cost Comparison – Gas vs. Electric Vehicle

Annual Miles	Gas powered passenger car	100% Electric Nissan LEAF
16,000	$2,240.00	$462.84
	Annual savings:	$1,777.16
Annual Miles	Gas powered Transit Connect	100% Electric Transit Connect
16,000	$2,434.78	$735.09
	Annual savings:	$1,699.69

Assumptions:

• Conventional vehicle averages 25 mpg and $3.50 per gallon fuel
• Nissan Leaf averages 34 kwh per 100 miles and 8.508 cents per kwh
• Transit Connect Electric averages 54 kwh per 100 miles and 8.508 cents per kwh
• Transit Connect Gas averages 23 mpg and $3.50 per gallon fuel

Bruce Martinez, Director of FPL's Network Operations, manages power restoration and emergency preparedness for FPL.

We then restore power to the most critical community functions such as hospitals, police and fire stations, and 911 communication centers. We also focus on restoring power to major thoroughfares that host supermarkets, gas stations and other essential community services. If your business is located within one of these areas, you might find yourself restored and able to play an active role in the community you serve, helping everyone get back to normal after a storm. Our plan is to restore the greatest possible number of homes and businesses in the shortest time.

For security reasons, we do not give out specific information about grid structures, but I can tell you that FPL does not prioritize restoration based on when a customer reported an outage or the status of your account. We begin with the hardest-hit areas first and continue working until everyone's lights are back on.

Check out this video for a look at how our process works.

Eliecer Viamontes, manager of FPL's Vegetation Management team, works to improve your reliability through our extensive line clearing program.

Main power lines and neighborhood lines

As you may know, trees growing near power lines are a common cause of flickers and outages. To help ensure reliable electric service, FPL proactively clears vegetation growing near our main power lines every three years and our local neighborhood lines every six years, on average. In your area, we recently trimmed vegetation growing near the main power lines.

Power lines and communication wires

In other situations, lines you see with trees growing near them may not be power lines, but communication wires typically owned by phone and cable companies. These lines are the ones located closest to the ground on utility poles, while FPL power lines are usually positioned higher on the poles. FPL’s line clearing program focuses only on our electric lines.

Stay safe around all overhead lines

For your safety, it is important to stay away from all lines on utility poles, regardless of their purpose or location.

If you see a tree touching, or near, power lines or any wires that you think may be power lines, please contact FPL immediately at 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) to report it. Never try to trim any vegetation growing near power lines yourself. Hire only specially trained line clearing professionals to do that work. All FPL customers can see improvements in their area by visiting www.fpl.com/maps.

Yannel Ortiz works in our Customer Care Center, making sure that when you call about a billing question we provide you with accurate information and excellent service.

I'm glad you brought this up. I know a lot of FPL customers wonder about these charges, and we want them to be as clear as possible.

Your electric bill includes a gross receipts tax and may include up to four other different taxes, paid to the state or local governments: a franchise fee, utility/municipal tax, Florida sales tax, and discretionary sales surtax. These taxes vary by area, with amounts not established by FPL. FPL collects these fees and taxes for distribution to the appropriate entities and does not profit from them.

• Gross receipts tax: A tax of about 2.56 percent on a customer's electric bill that is paid to the State of Florida.
• Franchise fee: FPL competes with municipalities and county governments for the right to serve customers. If a local government chooses, it can enter into a contract with FPL that enables the government to charge residents a contractual amount, the franchise fee, in exchange for its agreement not to form an electric utility for the term of the franchise.
• Utility/municipal tax: Tax levied by a municipality or county on a customer's electricity usage.
• Florida sales tax: A 7 percent tax levied by the State of Florida on the purchase of electricity.
• Discretionary sales surtax: A surtax that is charged by many Florida counties.

Your electric bill also includes the following components, all of which are regulated by Florida's Public Service Commission (PSC):

• Fuel charge: The cost of fuel required to provide each kilowatt-hour of electricity. FPL makes no profit on fuel costs, which are reviewed and approved by the PSC and adjusted at least once a year.
• Non-fuel charge: The expense, other than fuel, for making electricity and distributing it; for programs designed to reduce electric demand and consumption; for meeting environmental laws and regulations; and for purchasing electricity from non-FPL owned resources.
• Customer charge: A fixed monthly amount to cover the cost of providing service to your location. This charge includes the cost of the meter, billing and providing customer service. It is applicable whether or not electricity is used.
• Storm charge: Used to repay the bonds and taxes issued during the 2004 and 2005 hurricane restoration efforts and partially replenish a fund for future storms.

Kathy Schmitt is a member of FPL's Business Program Management team, overseeing the Business Lighting and Building Envelope programs.

Energy Answers for your Business is designed especially for businesses like yours. Submit your question on any energy-related topic.

Kathy Schmitt is a member of FPL's Business Program Management team, overseeing the Business Lighting and Building Envelope programs.

In the chart below, we compare a 70-watt high pressure sodium (HPS) wall pack to a 42-watt compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). We've also included a 70-watt ceramic metal halide and 57-watt CFL in our calculations; however we'll be focusing on the first two options for this response.

A 42-watt CFL will provide less light output but better color quality. The life of the lamp is significantly less, requiring it to be replaced twice as often as a 70-watt HPS. We recommend that you check the foot candle rating requirements (the necessary intensity of light falling on an object) for your fixture location to check if the 42-watt CFL can deliver the necessary lumens.

The 42-watt CFL would result in an annual savings of approximately $15 for each fixture over the 70-watt HPS, assuming a usage of 12 hours per night at 10 cents/kWh.

Visit www.fpl.com/bizlighting to learn how FPL incentives can help you pay for your new lighting.