The value and importance of implementing on going energy management activity is becoming realized by small and large business owners, corporations and municipalities alike. As energy costs continue to increase the benefit of managing energy as a controllable cost centre will become increasingly important in staying competitive and being profitable. In an effort to educate their customers, Bank of Montreal and Profit Magazine have teamed up to produce a series of Business Coach Podcasts, one of which features 360 Energy’s David Arkell discussing the benefits of becoming Energy Efficient through managing energy as a controllable cost.

“Although it sounds pretty simple, the first thing is that customers really don’t have an understanding of how much they spend annually and where the energy is being used” said Arkell as he introduced the topic. “This creates a waste, and most organizations treat energy as a fixed cost that is not controllable”. To the contrary, energy costs are far more controllable than most people realize, and organizations have generally been able to save as much as 5-25% on their energy costs through implementing energy saving strategies in their organizations. Some firms have even been able to save closer to 30-40% of their energy costs.

St Marys Cement of Bowmanville is one of 360 Energy customers’ that has become a star in energy management activity over the past 6 years. In November 2011, St Marys became the first organization in North America to obtain their ISO 50001 certification, an internationally recognized standard in energy management practices. Through formalizing their processes and integrating energy management throughout their organization, the company has saved millions of dollars by treating energy as a controllable cost and taking action. Even customers who are advanced in energy management can benefit from the input of an independent third party to verify their management status and mentor on how they can continue to improve their energy management performance.