With many public institutions across the country facing significant budget restraints in the near future, cutting utility spend provides a favorable way to reduce financial strain without sacrificing mission-critical funding.

For organizations going this route, the prospect of an internal Do-It-Yourself (DIY) program to reduce energy consumption may sound appealing. After all, why pay an outside company to do something an employee can hypothetically do themselves? The reality, however, is a bit more complex.

(Related: Myth Debunked: How Cenergistic Programs Are More Robust Than Simply Saving on Electricity)

Often, these internal energy managers focus on upgrading HVAC equipment and lighting, or making the switch to renewable energy. Often they wear down after a period of time as the program becomes yet another checklist item for facility employees with a full plate. Only a program that focuses and executes on energy conservation consistently will uncover worthwhile savings over the long run — underlining the need for an energy conservation company.

Reasons Why Internal Programs Struggle

A major limitation of most internal DIY programs is its reactive nature — these energy programs often analyze utility bills and look for major increases in consumption. Like a detective on the prowl for clues, the energy manager then looks for the source of usage spikes and works to fix the issue, preventing further energy waste. 

This limitation poses a drawback to effective facilities management since savings cannot be maximized. The program is continuously making changes months after they’ve impacted costs. It can also be challenging to calculate how much a program saves the organization under this method. A more proactive approach is ideal.

Whereas an energy conservation company will usually have broad resources and an expertise honed through years of experience in saving energy, a DIY program is not guaranteed to have that same impact. Ultimately, an internal program may be constrained by its limited scope and/or lack of proven expertise.

As with most programs, the new car smell tends to wear off after a short while. What may begin as a top priority that stakeholders approach with vigor often erodes into yet another task to complete — or ignore. Facility managers no longer look for creative ways to save energy like they did at the beginning of the program, and top-level support fades. Eventually, the DIY program’s effectiveness deteriorates until savings are minimal.

In effect, a program initiated to find savings with low costs ends up saving little and decreases the performance of facility employees. The savings lost from a poorly-planned DIY energy program can offset any benefits.

Reasons for Cenergistic

Cenergistic has consistently and rigorously done one thing every day for 35 years — help its partners lower energy consumption. We are an energy conservation company, and we don’t water it down with added bells and whistles or scope creep. As soon as possible after the partnership begins, Cenergistic embeds and pays for one or more onsite Energy Specialists. Our Energy Specialists come from the local community, so they have a vested interest in the success of the program.

With an Energy Specialist employed and paid for by Cenergistic, your facility staff is freed up to more effectively maintain the integrity of their buildings, rather than having to pile on additional duties related to an internal energy program.

Cenergistic’s approach is proactive — we don’t just react to utility bills months after waste accrues. With an aggressive schedule of physical audits during all parts of the day, night, week and year, and through the real-time data analytics of Cenergistic GreenX^®, Cenergistic detects waste as it happens and immediately works to fix the problem. This comprehensive approach maximizes savings while protecting equipment from overuse. Included in the partnership is access to Cenergistic’s deep roster of engineers and experts specializing in facility management, something an organization would have to pay thousands for out of pocket under a DIY approach.

You Need an Energy Conservation Company

With more than 1,500 clients over 35 years and an industry-leading team of experts and engineers, Cenergistic is the only energy conservation company with the experience, knowledge and ability to save your organization significant money that can be reinvested in programs that matter.

To find out more about how Cenergistic can cut your organization’s energy consumption by 20–30 percent or more, visit Cenergistic online or call 1-855-798-7779.