Retail & Office Buildings
Retail stores and offices rely on energy to provide comfortable and welcoming spaces.
Whether you own or lease your commercial space, there are a variety of options to reduce energy use and save money.
Opportunities for energy efficiency are vast and can be found at every step of the leasing cycle: from space selection and goal setting, to design and construction, and through occupancy and operations.
Discover new ways managing energy can drive employee, tenant. and customer satisfaction.
How You Benefit
- Increase profitability through long-term, reduced energy costs
- Create comfortable and productive environments for your employees and customers
- Enhance your brand reputation as a committed sustainability leader
- Attract employees and customers seeking sustainability-minded organizations
- Reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to a cleaner and healthier community
Key Energy Saving Opportunities
1. Energy Assessment (FlexTech)
Complete an energy study to identify and evaluate opportunities to reduce energy costs and incorporate clean energy into capital planning. The study can evaluate what building performance and clean energy systems may be right for your business and the estimated payback for upgrades. Participants can receive cost-share support and technical assistance to complete studies with potential for energy savings, emission reductions, and process improvements.
2. High-Efficiency Lighting Design
Energy-efficient lighting in retail stores and offices can save money, drive employee productivity, and encourage customers to shop longer. In comparison to conventional lighting options, high-efficiency lighting uses less energy, costs less to operate, and can last much longer than traditional options—up to 25 years. Consider also using daylighting to bring more natural light into your space, creating an inviting and comfortable environment.
Learn more about high-efficiency lighting
3. Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System Upgrades
Heating and cooling is often the largest expense for offices and retail stores. By properly maintaining equipment or upgrading to high-efficiency HVAC systems, you can improve the energy performance of your office or store. If your system is more than 10 years old or not working effectively, consider upgrading to a newer, more energy-efficient model. Newer systems can improve employee and customer comfort with better climate and temperature control.
4. Energy-Efficient Office Equipment
IT equipment can use a significant amount of electricity. Even when turned off, your equipment may be consuming large amounts of energy. You can save money by using ENERGY STAR® certified equipment, such as computers, monitors, printers, and copiers. Consider also using equipment power management tools, such as advanced power strips. These strips eliminate energy consumption by automatically turning power off when IT equipment is not being used.
Learn more about energy efficient office equipment
5. Clean Heating and Cooling Upgrades
Clean heating and cooling systems, including air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, and heat pump water heaters, make it possible for retailers and offices to keep customers and employees comfortable year-round, save energy, and reduce their carbon footprint. Heat pumps work by drawing heat from the environment and moving it indoors to heat or moving it outdoors to cool buildings. Compared to fossil fuel equipment, heat pumps have a longer lifespan and enable greater temperature customization and control for different zones throughout a building.
Retail and Office Programs and Resources
NYSERDA supports tenants, landlords, and industry consultants in improving energy efficiency of retail and office spaces through thoughtful design, proactive maintenance and operations, and actionable plans to reduce energy consumption over the life of a lease.
Programs are available from NYSERDA and local utilities to help cover the cost of identifying energy saving opportunities and developing a plan to implement energy efficiency upgrades.
- Heat Recovery: Discover how recycling wasted thermal energy is supporting large building decarbonization.
- Retrofit Playbook for Large Buildings
: Access offers a living library of case studies, technical resources, and best practices to support high quality, low carbon retrofits. - Strategic Energy Management Program: Fully-funded training options for businesses to develop a comprehensive approach to manage energy in a coordinated and strategic way across an organization.
You Might Also Be Interested In
Retail stores, offices, and commercial property owners can improve their bottom line and futureproof their business by reducing energy use and adopting clean technologies. Consider maximizing energy saving strategies with additional cost-effective energy investments, including:
- Electric Vehicles & Charging Stations: Converting your fleet and installing charging infrastructure can reduce costs and attract a growing customer base of EV drivers.
- Energy Storage: Use energy storage technologies to create a continuous, reliable supply of energy for your business.
- Solar: Compare options for powering your business with a clean, cost-saving energy source.
For a full list of programs, visit our energy programs and incentives page.
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