Ways to Reduce the Energy Bill for Your Church

If you’re like most churches, finding ways to reduce your energy bill would be a blessing. Even if you have a supportive congregation and have no trouble meeting your monthly expenses, you could easily put the savings towards doing more good in the community. Here are some of the ways you can save.

Lighting and Equipment Upgrades

According to ENERGY STAR, you can save up to 30 percent by upgrading your church’s equipment. This includes high-impact, low-cost investments. One of these is simply upgrading your lighting.

LED light bulbs use up to 30 percent less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs. Even though the initial purchase price for LED bulbs is slightly higher, they’ll pay for themselves with the energy savings and the longer time until they need to be replaced.

Finding out if these types of upgrades are a worthwhile investment is a simple math problem. All you need to do is calculate the potential energy savings from more efficient equipment and compare it against the upgrade costs. If you aren’t sure how to do this, we have data on both energy rates and efficiency savings that can help you make an informed decision along with the ability to come right in and make the lighting upgrades for you.

Renegotiating Your Rates

You also may be able to cut your energy costs by renegotiating your energy rates or find a better rate plan for your church.

The first thing to consider is when your church is in use. If your energy use only falls during certain times, you may be able to take advantage of peak hours pricing. This type of pricing structure charges a lower rate during off-peak hours and a higher rate during peak times. Peak is defined as when most energy customers are using energy. So if most of the energy use in your area comes from businesses during weekdays, you might be able to find off-peak pricing that matches your church’s busy times.

In addition to different rate structures, you may be able to save by switching energy suppliers or by locking in a longer contract with your current supplier. You have a right to choose your energy supplier in deregulated states, and they will compete to win your business just like any other service provider. Even if you have an existing contract, your energy supplier will often consider lowering your rate in exchange for a longer contract.

RK Energy Group helps churches and businesses find the right energy supplier for their needs. It can be difficult going into any type of negotiation or buying process if you aren’t thoroughly familiar with the market; we help level the playing field. We track the current energy rates in your area and what kinds of contracts energy suppliers are offering. We’ve also developed working relationships with many local energy suppliers by negotiating on behalf of many of their customers that can help make the process go more smoothly. We can get your energy rate lowered.

TAKEAWAYS

Upgrading your lighting and other equipment can bring immediate energy savings, but you need to consider the costs and benefits.
Your congregation may also be able to take advantage of special energy rates by contacting RK Energy and letting us negotiate your energy contract.

To learn more about the options available to your church or to get help getting quotes from local energy providers, contact RK Energy Group today.