Click the play button on the video window to the see the storyAn ABC15 investigation found lights left on overnight at 15 of the 24 government buildings we surveyed. We checked each hour overnight. But now, changes are already in the works.
Dr. George Basile says bad habits may be part of the reason we found so many lights on in government buildings.
Basile is an energy expert at ASU's Decision Theater. They work with cities and businesses to make changes within a building in order to lower energy costs and save money.
“Energy has been cheap. It's usually less than a couple of percent of a business's budget quite often in the past. But now for a lot of businesses, beyond payroll, it is their number one cost.”
Maricopa County reports they are pursuing an energy savings contract and auditing more than 100 buildings.
They are reviewing their lights, air conditioning, and water conservation. Their goal is to have all equipment working at optimum levels. Once the audit is done, it will go to the board for consideration.
The day after our original investigation aired, Governor Brewer ordered all lights off when possible in state buildings at night.
Paul Senseman is Communications Director for the Governor.
“These kinds of issues of spending the public money (are) of deep concern to her. She wants our new administration to be very, very careful particularly in these tough economic times.”
Senseman says their people are already checking state buildings for needless lights.
Basile recommends the simple fixes for your home and business that can save you money in the long run.
Turn off your lights when you are not using them, install motion sensors that shut off after you leave a room.
Or better yet, open your blinds or curtains. Use sunlight.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent or LEDs.
“In a lot of old buildings, you have a lot of incandescent lights,” said Basile. “They basically generate heat. Heat often means in a place like around here, you need to run an air conditioner, so all these systems are connected.”
There is also new software that can learn from you. Instead of leaving your PC on all night for corporate updates, the software can turn your computer on and off when they are complete.
We found other great ideas on
Urban Farm website. They are a local company devoted to saving energy. Here is a link to
8 Ways to Save Your Green.
Your local utilities offer various ways to save energy and save money:
Check out this site for APS
Check out this site for SRPYou can also get more information about home weatherization assistance and the Energy Star money-saving program by going to the
U.S. Department of Energy.
Read our original investigation, You're paying for it: Government leaves lights on all night
