YOUR COMPANY controls the savings – on its own terms.
How Smart Returns works:
- Simply enroll free of charge for one year from June 1 to May 31 to receive a cost savings for reducing your company’s energy use at its pre-determined level when PECO sends a notification request.
- Work with a PECO Account Manager to develop a contract to maximize savings. Participants in the mandatory program receive guaranteed savings by reducing energy use by a preset amount. More participation flexibility with fewer savings is offered to voluntary program participants. Participation in both programs provides the company with the most savings.
When your company enrolls in Smart Returns, a PECO Account Manager will guide your company to be sure it takes full advantage of the savings options. Here are four simple steps to ready your company and start saving.
- Step 1 – Determine your company’s energy use comfort level.
Most companies are comfortable adjusting energy use by up to 10 percent without much effect to their business by turning off lights or raising temperature setpoints in unoccupied areas. This would reduce energy use, saving your company money.
To save more, some companies accept more commitment by adjusting their energy use by 20 percent or more. This could include raising temperature setpoints in occupied areas between four and six degrees, delaying/rescheduling operations or operating an on-site generator.
- Step 2 – Identify your company’s best actions to reduce energy.
PECO will look to your company to identify ways to adjust its energy use to maximize savings while ensuring the quality and safety of its operations. Consider a variety of approaches including turning off lights in unoccupied areas, turning off nonessential computers and equipment and rescheduling production lines.
- Step 3 - Estimate your company’s total savings.
Based on these identified actions to reduce energy, as well as the company’s total square footage and kilowatt load, PECO will help your company estimate its energy use reduction amount and associated total savings.
PECO offers tools to help Smart Returns customers with this step:
o Smart Returns Excel Calculator Tool – Your PECO Account Manager will use this tool to help your company calculate potential financial credits based on its commitment levels for reducing energy.
o PECO e-VALUATOR – As a subscription service only available to PECO customers, your company can sign up to use this Web tool to help develop energy reduction strategies. The e-VALUATOR is an energy-profiling Web tool that uses data from your company's meter to produce hourly, daily or monthly energy easy-to-understand graphs and reports.
Your company can also use e-VALUATOR to help manage overall energy use and costs by forecasting energy use in advance of a bill, as well as see your company’s financial savings based on your company’s Smart Returns participation during summer months.
For more information about these tools, please contact your PECO Account Manager. You may also e-mail evaluator@peco-energy.com or call toll free at (866) 850-0357 for more details about e-VALUATOR.
Step 4 - Put together a plan.
PECO encourages your company to put its plan into writing for easy reference and review the appropriate steps to take and timing to ensure that your company’s Smart Returns participation is a big success. Now your company can look forward to financial savings in the form of credits, applied to your company’s bill.
Contact PECO today and see how your company can become a Smart Returns participant – please call 866-850-0357or email evaluator@peco-energy.com!