Cam_mather

Jeff Green | May 04, 2006

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CamMather brings energy smart message to business breakfast

by Jeff Green

Cam Mather, who is a publisher with Aztext Press of Tamworth , brought a different kind of message about economic development to the latest Addington Highlands Business Breakfast meeting.

Rather than talking about how to improve the business bottom line by increasing traffic, he talked about how to improve the bottom line by controlling energy costs.

Although groups often expect to hear about solar and wind power generation from alternative energy speakers like Cam Mather and Steve Lapp, who made a similar presentation to a group on Sydenham this past winter, the first thing Cam Mather wanted to talk about was light bulbs.

Mather presented a chart which outlined the basic economics of energy conservation. At the beginning of the chart were the items which will pay back their initial investment in the shortest amount of time and bring energy savings after that time. Although compact fluorescent bulbs are more expensive to purchase than incandescent bulbs, their energy use is much lower, so they produce savings in short order, savings that are maintained and increased over time.

The chart Mather used is out of date however, since it is based on energy costs of a few years ago. With electricity prices recently being increased, a new chart would show savings from energy efficient appliances, lighting, etc. in increasingly short amounts of time.

“A tourism business, such as a lodge or hotel that might contain hundreds of light fixtures, would be looking at tremendous savings just by switching light bulbs,” Mather said.

Cam Mather also talked about unplugging electronic appliances when they are not in use.

“All appliances should be connected to power bars, which should be shut off when the appliance is not in use. Televisions, for example, use 80% as much energy when they are shut off as when they are on, so it’s as if the TV is on 20 hours a day even if it is never turned on,” he said.

More expensive purchases, such as energy efficient large appliances, are paying off sooner and sooner, and Mather encouraged businesses to work energy costs into their business calculations when they are making business decisions about purchasing.