In anticipation of Energy Awareness Month in October, FPL hosted a webinar for small and medium-sized businesses this week focused on helping increase corporate bottom lines through energy savings to avoid cuts in jobs, salaries and benefits. According to webinar moderator Nancy Flickinger, account manager for FPL’s Customer Service Field Operations, energy savings provides a preferred alternative that doesn’t detract from business operations, employee experience or jobs while still reducing company overhead.

The webinar helped business owners and operations managers learn how to uncover savings opportunities and maximize those savings by turning FPL’s recommendations into a savings plan.

“The reality is, a good energy plan is good business, whether your company is large or small,” said Flickinger. “In addition to the obvious payback of saving energy and money month after month, there are other benefits to developing and implementing an ongoing energy management program, including reduced maintenance and labor costs after upgrading to new, more efficient equipment.”

The webinar discussed how saving energy reduces the cost of doing business, improving profitability and competitiveness in the marketplace. Additionally, from a marketing perspective, many companies opt to leverage the competitive advantage of being environmentally friendly and have found it opens the door to new business and promotional opportunities.

FPL provides resources to help assess and evaluate energy savings opportunities through its free Business Energy Evaluation (BEE). Once the results of the BEE are calculated, FPL can help customers set goals, evaluate options, review optional voluntary rates and FPL incentive programs; implement the improvements (starting with low-cost or no-cost options) and track the results. In addition to the BEE, FPL also helps business customers find participating contractors who can install energy-efficiency improvements like air conditioning, refrigeration, water heating, lighting and process FPL incentives.

According to Flickinger, employee engagement is one of the most effective no-cost methods of reducing energy use.

“The best way to start the process is to set energy-efficiency goals and objectives and to identify an Energy Champion to manage an ongoing team and employee energy plan that supports management’s objectives,” said Flickinger. “To maintain commitment over time, the team should periodically review the energy plan and keep it fresh. Finally, be sure to share news about initiatives and results of the process to motivate employees to jump on the energy-saving bandwagon, whether this is through energy-efficiency events or incentives rewarding outstanding performance.”

For more information, visit www.fpl.com/BEE.