It may not be obvious at first, but Convenience stores typically have one of the highest energy costs per square foot. Their power bills range from $6 to $14 a square foot. Thus, your typical convenience stores monthly electric bill would easily come in around $1000. Holly cow now that's a lot of slushies to have to sell. Think again if you think they can just sell gas to pay the power bill. They make next to nothing on gasoline sells the real money is made on slushies, coffee, and anything sold inside the store.
Now compare $6 a square foot the lowest rate for a convenience store to the average commercial office space that comes in at $2 a square foot or your personal home at just 78 cents a square foot. I hope you can easily see that the guy or gal that supplies the gas for our vehicles is actually taking one of the largest hits in their wallets when energy prices go up. I for one want to thank them for making our lives a little easier and more convenient. It is not an easy job and there is not as much money to be made as one might believe.
Still there are many things that anyone can do to lower your energy bill. Of course reducing our usage is always a great first step. Even 1 hour a day adds up over time. Other great ways to reduce your energy costs is to use energy star appliances. Use occupancy sensors for lighting in restrooms, game rooms, mechanical rooms, walk-in-coolers, etc…
If you are a convenience store owner you might find it hard to believe but you do not need to be the station that has the highest watt lighting to attract customers. Paint your pump islands a nice bright color and then direct light towards the island with lower lamp wattage to achieve the same visibility and grab your potential customers' attention. If your canopy lighting density is over 1.25 Watts per square foot you are just wasting money. Open Parking lot lighting should be less than .15 Watts per square foot. Switching to a newer T5 canopy lighting system can cost 44% less than the older HID canopy lighting systems typically installed at most convenience stores. T5 Lamps also tend to last 75% longer than the old HID lamps.
Of course another major way to reduce your overall power bill is to have an energy consultant help you. Many of the states have deregulated the energy market and you can now save major money for your business or personal home. You do not have to buy any new appliances, change your habits, and typically it cost you nothing. That is right it is typically FREE. The consultant gets paid from the Power Company or supplier. They just find you the cheapest rate possible for you power usage.
If you live in Illinois and would like a professional Energy consultant to review your power bill for FREE and see if you can save 10% or more on your energy bill I would recommend http://www.rockriverenergyservices.com Mike has over 35 Years of experience working with Power Companies and can easily find you the energy savings that you deserve.
About Author: Jim Vomers
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Orignal From: When Energy Prices Climb We Really Need To Thank Our Local Convenience Store!
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