This holiday season, commercial building owners in the Philadelphia area
will be receiving a gift that they would love to return. This January,
PECO is set to announce its first rate hike in 14 years. This expiration
of the rate caps is likely to mean big increases for commercial
buildings, where utilities are often the biggest expenditure. But one
Glenside company wants to replace this lump of coal with energy savings,
connecting cutting edge technology with complex building systems.
In 2009, long-time business owner and entrepreneur Tony DePaul created
Wireless Energy Solutions (WES) as a marketing and distribution agency for
Bulogics, the Philadelphia-based energy monitoring technology firm.
Bulogics has created smart plugs that monitor energy usage for each
device and transmit that information wirelessly. Partnering with
Bulogics, DePaul's team has created an internet-enabled network allowing
business owners to control energy usage and monitor devices from an
iPhone or laptop off-site and from any computer in the building. This
solution has helped commercial buildings across the region reduce usage
before the rate caps expire.
"There are three major areas impacted: HVAC, lighting, and parasitic
power," says DePaul. "By keeping your building the appropriate climate,
managing the parasitic power and the lighting, it comes up to anywhere
from 15 to 30 percent of the energy bill each year. And depending on
where the power companies are, some offer rebates for these devices. And
we do all the applications. These things pay for themselves in a very
short period of time."
WES promises a 100 percent return on investment within three years
through savings and rebates. In Pennsylvania, while rates may be going
up, PECO offers a 21-cent-per-square-foot rebate, helping building
owners avoid the rate-cap woes.
"There is nothing else like this on the market," says DePaul. "The
alternative is dumb, low-tech devices. Or you can use this, a wireless
capability that is highly intelligent, programmable and reports and
monitors the site completely."
Source: Tony DePaul, Wireless Energy Solutions
Writer: John Steele