calculate your savings

How Much Can You Save?

To calculate an approximate savings for your business by participating in Cool Biz, you can follow these formulas:

To find the amount of electricity saved:

• Find the kilowatt-hours hours used for the month of June, or for last June on your electricity bill.
• Multiply your kW hours x .30 = your cooling load.
• Multiply your cooling load found above x .01 x the number of degrees you change your thermostat (i.e. 4 degrees) = kW hours saved.

To find the amount of electricity costs savings:

• Look up the amount you spent on your electricity bill for June, or look at last June's electricity bil.
• Multiply your electricity bill $ x .30 = your cooling load cost.
• Multiply your cooling load cost above x .01 x the number of degrees you change your thermostat (i.e. 4 degrees) = cost savings.

Disclaimer

This formula is best used in a residential or small business setting. It may be used in a larger business setting taking into account variables unique to a facility, such as ceiling height, worker usage patterns (one shift vs. three shifts), number of windows and doors, for example, which have a significant impact on cooling.

Larger buildings have unique air conditioning operating characteristics that require an individual energy analysis to determine the actual savings that can be achieved by raising the indoor temperature during warm weather. Consult the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) at www.ashrae.org as a resource.

If you are a small-to-medium sized business in Xcel Energy's service area, please contact the Business Solution Center for help reducing your energy use, at bsc@xcelnergy.com or 1-800-481-4700.