ChamberLink February 2012 : Page 8

8 ChamberLink • February 2012 Financial Corner You can reduce energy use at your business and manage rising energy prices more effectively. Rappahannock Electric Cooperative is pleased to share the following no-cost, low-cost and moderate-cost options to increase your businesses’ energy efficiency. Each step you take will help you manage rising electricity costs now and in years to come. • Turn it off! Turn off electric lights when they are not needed and take advantage of natural daylight whenever possible. • Make sure setback thermostats and energy management systems are programmed correctly. You can save 2 percent on heating costs for every degree you lower the thermostat for at least an eight-hour period. Instead of relying on staff to adjust the temperatures properly, use energy manage-ment systems to manage your facility’s energy use. • Install the most energy efficient lighting options available and incorporate control devices. Replace all regular bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFL’s): lamps, overhead fixtures, hall lights, lights in the bathroom and exterior lighting. CFL’s are cost efficient and will save you money because they use 75 percent less energy and give off the same amount of light. • Maintain heating, ventilations, and air conditioning equip-ment (HVAC) regularly by following all manufacturers’ Businesses can take steps to manage rising electric costs • guidelines. Change air filters monthly. Clean the space around your heating, water heating or cooling system to prevent debris from being pulled into burners or filters. Insulate hot water pipes and air ducts to minimize losses. Check other equipment regularly and ensure it is operat-ing correctly. Many school, commercial, industrial and government facilities have specialized equipment such as refrigeration units, cooking equipment, pumps and evaporative coolers. Follow all manufacturers’ guidelines for operating and maintaining the equipment. Keep systems clean to optimize operation. Install variable speed drives. Fans, pumps, refrigeration equipment and compressors do not need to operate at full power all the time. Variable frequency drives (VFD) control the speed of the motor that drives this equipment so that the motor’s speed is matched to the actual equipment load, allowing the motor to be continually adjusted. VFDs cut electricity use, as well as wear and tear on the motor. Purchase energy-efficient equipment. Choose energy ef-ficient equipment when it is time to replace equipment. This decision will save money for years to come. Look for the Energy Star label as a guide. Monitor energy usage monthly. An unexpected change in peak demand or energy use can indicate that something is not working properly or has inadvertently been left on. • • • • Ask employees how to reduce energy use. Employees can help you reduce energy use; solicit their input and you will encourage them to think about ways to save energy. REC provides electric service to more than 155,000 connec-tions in parts of 22 Virginia counties. With its general office in Fredericksburg, REC maintains more than 16,000 miles of power lines through its service area, which ranges from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay. For information, please visit www.myrec.coop. Non-Profit Corner Marine Corps Heritage Foundation – Preserving the history of America’s Marines The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation furthered its mission to preserve and share the history, traditions and culture of the Marine Corps through a number of successes and developments in 2011, also enhancing one of the area’s most visited destinations, the National Museum of the Marine Corps. In 2011, the foundation ex-panded its variety of experiential and educational activities. It debuted the Leatherneck History Series , giving local residents the opportunity to listen and learn from experts on historic events, such as the Battle of Bull Run and the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The foundation also once again hosted the popular Summer Concert Series with the Quantico Marine Corps Band, as well as its monthly Family Days that featured multigenerational activities for Marine Corps history fans of all ages. The Marine Corps Heritage Center and National Museum, which receive financial support from the foundation, made a number of additions to enhance their visitors’ experience. The spring-time dedication of the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park Pathways added over a mile of new trails to the campus. The new ADA compliant pathways are lined with benches, memorials, and more than 16,000 commemorative bricks, and pro-vide access to the Semper Fidelis Memorial Chapel, the southern section of the Old Kings Highway, and Prince William County Park Authority’s Locust Shade Park. The foundation also announced plans last year to develop a hotel and conference center adjacent to the museum. Designs and discussions with hotel and restaurant vendors are underway. Once open, the complex will provide a state-of-the-art destination for tourists and conferences alike. Over a half-million people walked through the museum’s exhibits and galleries in 2011, learning and experiencing Amer-ican history through Marine Corps history. In the coming year, the museum expects to welcome its 3 millionth visitor since opening its doors in 2006. Much to the credit of the museum’s designers and staff, many of these visitors have not realized that the museum is incomplete. The stories of the most recent decades of Marine Corps history are not yet told within the existing galleries. Lt. Gen. Robert “Rusty” Black-man, Jr., USMC (Ret.) who transitioned into the role of president and CEO of the foundation last year, has recommitted the organization to raising the necessary funds for constructing galleries to showcase Marine history after 1975. Rallying individuals, foundations and businesses to help complete the museum will be one of the founda-tion’s top priorities moving forward. Ensuring the mu-seum represents every man and woman of the Marine Corps will not only strengthen one of the region’s most significant military landmarks, it will give every genera-tion of Marines its place in history. Office Space for Rent in King George Journal Complex — Kings Hwy. 1280 sq. ft. • 5 offices • high-speed internet Front desk and waiting room Private Entrance • plenty of parking Call Ruth Herrink (540) 775-2024 for more information

Businesses can take steps to manage rising electric costs

You can reduce energy use at your business and manage rising energy prices more effectively. Rappahannock Electric Cooperative is pleased to share the following no-cost, low-cost and moderate-cost options to increase your businesses’ energy efficiency. Each step you take will help you manage rising electricity costs now and in years to come. Turn it off! Turn off electric lights when they are not needed and take advantage of natural daylight whenever possible. Make sure setback thermostats and energy management systems are programmed correctly. You can save 2 percent on heating costs for every degree you lower the thermostat for at least an eight-hour period. Instead of relying on staff to adjust the temperatures properly, use energy management systems to manage your facility’s energy use. Install the most energy efficient lighting options available and incorporate control devices. Replace all regular bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFL’s): lamps, overhead fixtures, hall lights, lights in the bathroom and exterior lighting. CFL’s are cost efficient and will save you money because they use 75 percent less energy and give off the same amount of light. Maintain heating, ventilations, and air conditioning equipment (HVAC) regularly by following all manufacturers’ guidelines. Change air filters monthly. Clean the space around your heating, water heating or cooling system to prevent debris from being pulled into burners or filters. Insulate hot water pipes and air ducts to minimize losses. Check other equipment regularly and ensure it is operating correctly. Many school, commercial, industrial and government facilities have specialized equipment such as refrigeration units, cooking equipment, pumps and evaporative coolers. Follow all manufacturers’ guidelines for operating and maintaining the equipment. Keep systems clean to optimize operation. Install variable speed drives. Fans, pumps, refrigeration equipment and compressors do not need to operate at full power all the time. Variable frequency drives (VFD) control the speed of the motor that drives this equipment so that the motor’s speed is matched to the actual equipment load, allowing the motor to be continually adjusted. VFDs cut electricity use, as well as wear and tear on the motor. Purchase energy-efficient equipment. Choose energy efficient equipment when it is time to replace equipment. This decision will save money for years to come. Look for the Energy Star label as a guide. Monitor energy usage monthly. An unexpected change in peak demand or energy use can indicate that something is not working properly or has inadvertently been left on. Ask employees how to reduce energy use. Employees can help you reduce energy use; solicit their input and you will encourage them to think about ways to save energy. REC provides electric service to more than 155,000 connections in parts of 22 Virginia counties. With its general office in Fredericksburg, REC maintains more than 16,000 miles of power lines through its service area, which ranges from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay. For information, please visit www.myrec.coop.

Marine Corps Heritage Foundation – Preserving the history of America’s Marines

The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation furthered its mission to preserve and share the history, traditions and culture of the Marine Corps through a number of successes and developments in 2011, also enhancing one of the area’s most visited destinations, the National Museum of the Marine Corps. In 2011, the foundation expanded its variety of experiential and educational activities. It debuted the Leatherneck History Series, giving local residents the opportunity to listen and learn from experts on historic events, such as the Battle of Bull Run and the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The foundation also once again hosted the popular Summer Concert Series with the Quantico Marine Corps Band, as well as its monthly Family Days that featured multigenerational activities for Marine Corps history fans of all ages. The Marine Corps Heritage Center and National Museum, which receive financial support from the foundation, made a number of additions to enhance their visitors’ experience. The spring-time dedication of the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park Pathways added over a mile of new trails to the campus. The new ADA compliant pathways are lined with benches, memorials, and more than 16,000 commemorative bricks, and provide access to the Semper Fidelis Memorial Chapel, the southern section of the Old Kings Highway, and Prince William County Park Authority’s Locust Shade Park. The foundation also announced plans last year to develop a hotel and conference center adjacent to the museum. Designs and discussions with hotel and restaurant vendors are underway. Once open, the complex will provide a state-of-the-art destination for tourists and conferences alike. Over a half-million people walked through the museum’s exhibits and galleries in 2011, learning and experiencing American history through Marine Corps history. In the coming year, the museum expects to welcome its 3 millionth visitor since opening its doors in 2006. Much to the credit of the museum’s designers and staff, many of these visitors have not realized that the museum is incomplete. The stories of the most recent decades of Marine Corps history are not yet told within the existing galleries. Lt. Gen. Robert “Rusty” Blackman, Jr., USMC (Ret.) who transitioned into the role of president and CEO of the foundation last year, has recommitted the organization to raising the necessary funds for constructing galleries to showcase Marine history after 1975. Rallying individuals, foundations and businesses to help complete the museum will be one of the foundation’s top priorities moving forward. Ensuring the museum represents every man and woman of the Marine Corps will not only strengthen one of the region’s most significant military landmarks, it will give every generation of Marines its place in history.

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List
Using a screen reader? Click Here