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May 11, 2012

Mini Storage, Mega Savings

General Store-All, a mini-storage facility located near Marine Drive and Oak Street in Vancouver, has been providing residents and businesses with self-storage rooms since 1986. Owner, Allan Sutherland, heard about the LiveSmart BC: Small Business Program and decided to find out more.

Through the LiveSmart BC: Small Business Program, General Store-All was eligible for a free energy assessment with a Business Energy Advisor, as well as thousands of dollars in incentives through BC Hydro and LiveSmart BC to help make the improvements more affordable.

Doug Horn, a LiveSmart BC Business Energy Advisor working with the City of Vancouver, provided the facility with a free energy assessment in November 2011. The assessment report outlined two key energy conservation opportunities: upgrading the existing linear fluorescent lighting used throughout the storage facility to a more efficient type and replacing over 300 incandescent bulbs with high efficiency LED lights.

Allan learned that his business is eligible for incentives from BC Hydro's Product Incentive Program, as well as a 10% bonus from LiveSmart BC, a combined total of over $10,000 in incentives. The upgrades would also save his business over 46,500 kWh of electricity annually and over $3000 in utility costs each year. Allan would be able to pay for these upgrades through his utility savings in only 1.2 years. With the extra $3000 a year in electricity savings, Allan can direct resources to other areas of the business to continue to offer the best-value in self storage.

Notice the difference in brightness between the old and new lighting

Notice the difference in brightness between
the old (right) and new (left) lighting fixtures

General Store-All is currently completing the recommended lighting upgrades. Allan has already seen a difference in the quality of light he is receiving from the new bulbs. "The light output from the T8s is significantly more than the T12s, at a lower power draw." he said. Allan also said that the assessment was very useful and he would recommend it to other businesses looking to improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs.

To find out about other opportunities through the LiveSmart BC: Small Business Program, visit http://www.livesmartbc.ca/incentives/small-business/. If you own a small business that spends less than $50,000 per year on electricity, you can sign up for a free energy assessment with an advisor in your area. Visit the LiveSmart BC: Business Energy Advisor Map to find an advisor near you. Please visit the BC Hydro Product Incentive Program e-Catalogue to view the current incentives available at http://www.bchydro.com/ecatalog/.