When it comes to conserving energy, too many Connecticut business owners believe they need to invest in costly technology such as fuel cells; or that a long-term investment in making their buildings greener isn’t worth the short-term expense.
Those folks should talk to people like Matthew Mullen of Emcor Services New England Mechanical in Vernon or Mike DeNamur of Trane in Farmington.
They were among the energy experts who paid a visit to the Hartford Business Journal last week to discuss energy issues and how they relate to Connecticut companies. The overriding message they brought is that companies, large and small, don’t need to invest millions to conserve energy and save money.
“There has to be a change in the corporate culture,” said DeNamur.
Simple things such as energy audits can provide companies with low-cost ideas on how to conserve energy, the experts said.
A strong state and federal commitment to help fund corporate energy initiatives is also needed.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell changed her mind after threatening to take $20 million from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, which supports renewable energy projects, to help close the state budget gap and $40 million from the Energy Conservation and Load Management Fund, which supports energy efficiency programs. But Rell should never have put those programs in jeopardy.
The federal stimulus package provides millions more for Connecticut companies, but most of the money is earmarked for the state’s major cities and guidelines on how the money can be spent are unclear.
Business owners should have confidence that the state and federal governments are encouraging clean energy initiatives. But mostly, they need to move aggressively toward greener operations in small, manageable ways.
