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Buildings don’t use energy – people do. Your employees affect a building’s energy performance. Many people already save energy at home. Show them the connections between those good behaviors and what they can do at work. It’s the little things that, when added together, can make a big difference.

High utility costs can be a result of paying for energy that is wasted by lights, equipment, and HVAC systems that are left on for long periods while not in use. According to Energy Star, office buildings waste up to one-third of the energy they consume. Your business can use less energy and lower its costs if you:

1.    Educate your employees to turn off lights and equipment when not in use and enable the power management features on computer equipment.
2.    Work with your facility management team to make sure systems are operating properly and then consider upgrades to enhance energy-efficiency.
3.    Consider installing occupancy sensors in conference rooms, store rooms, or other areas not continuously occupied.
4.    Schedule an energy audit for your facility. An audit can help identify problems, like heat loss, and give you a plan of action for making energy-efficient upgrades. Learn more at sdge.com/BES.
5.    Read the EPA’s Building Upgrade Manual to help you plan and implement building improvements. And Energy Star provides a guidebook with ideas to help increase energy efficiency in your facility. Download the action workbook here.

Make 2018 the year your business gets more energy-efficient! Learn more on how your business can save energy by visiting sdge.com/business.

From San Diego County Health Department:

The flu is hitting San Diego hard this season. A total of 45 flu deaths have been reported in San Diego so far this season as compared to five deaths this same time last season. Also, more than 7,300 laboratory-confirmed flu cases have been reported so far, which is over 8 times more than the total number of cases for the entire season last year.

We are sharing important information provided by the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) on what you can do to protect yourself and those around you from becoming ill with the flu.

Get the flu shot if you haven’t already - it’s not too late
Cover your coughs and sneezes, use a tissue or your arm
Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water
Use hand sanitizer
Stay home if you are sick
Stay away from sick people whenever possible
Flu shots are available at doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies and other locations around the County. People without health insurance can go to a County Public Health Center—you can find a list of locations at www.sdiz.org, or by calling 2-1-1.

We encourage you and your employees to visit the County’s www.sdiz.org website for 2018 Flu updates and information about the flu including myths about the flu and flu vaccine. You may also find the video on “What to do to avoid the flu” helpful: https://www.countynewscenter.com/what-to-do-to-avoid-the-flu/, and the attached flu prevention tips, in English and Spanish, and handwashing message, in multiple languages, can be posted in any area.

We appreciate your assistance,
Department of Environmental Health

IMM-969-FluPreventionTipsSp.pdf
IMM-819-WashYourHandsEng.pdf
IMM-969-FluPreventionTipsEng.pdf

The polls are open! The general public is welcome to vote for the 2018 OB Customer Service Business of the Year from now until noon on Friday, January 12, 2018.

Help us celebrate Ocean Beach businesses by voting for this year’s Annual OBMA Awards Winner! Make your vote count for Ocean Beach Customer Service Business of the Year by answering the survey below with the business you think best exemplifies the spirit of Ocean Beach by reflecting positive awareness and activity in the community through their exceptional customer service. Winner must be a member in good standing of the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association.

*** VOTE HERE! ***

Dear OBMA Members,

The OBMA Annual Meeting & Awards Celebration is coming up on January 25, 2018! We are currently in search of table sponsors (just a few available) and contributions to our raffle prize baskets. Contributing to our annual awards is a great PR opportunity for your business! If you'd like to make a contribution, please access the forms linked below and return them to us by Friday, December 29:

Table sponsorships form
Raffle prize contributions form

If you have any questions, please contact the office at [email protected] or 619-224-4906.

See you at the celebration!

-OBMA Staff

Property upgrades are expensive, but necessary. They increase property value and keep quality tenants, who are drawn to locations with state-of-the-art amenities. If an opportunity to upgrade your property with new, in demand infrastructure presents itself at a fraction of the cost, is that a deal you’d let drive by? Not a chance.
San Diego Gas & Electric is installing 3,500 electric vehicle charging stations at apartments, condos and businesses in the region through the Power Your Drive initiative. As a program participant, you’d pay little to nothing to have onsite EV charging stations installed on your property for the exclusive use of your tenants.
Once the installation is complete, your work is done. SDG&E handles operation and maintenance of the charging stations, including repairs, support and billing. Your tenants pay for charging through their SDG&E account. It’s a win-win for property owners.
Don’t be left in the dust. Visit sdge.com/PowerYourDrive to join the interest list today and get started.

Already have a good understanding of air conditioning units? Then take this advanced class at the Energy Innovation Center on December 7th that focuses on the energy efficiency of unitary systems. You earn continuing education units too! This class is for building engineers, facility managers and maintenance staff.  Check out our free HVAC classes in December at seminars.sdge.com.

To learn more about the Energy Innovation Center’s self-guided sustainability tours, tool lending library, and free classes visit sdge.com/eic. See what our customers say about the Energy Innovation Center! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2ng86bgNko
 

There are a variety of ways you can reduce costs in your business when it comes to energy. By assessing the needs of your employees and your customers, you’ll be able to make a plan that helps you cut costs where you need it the most.

1.    Don’t heat what you don’t use. This may seem obvious but it’s easy to oversee. Only heat the rooms and areas of the building which are in use every day. Rooms with low usage should have their heating turned down or off until they are in use. You can also keep temperatures low in hallways as they are not used for more than a couple of minutes at a time.
2.    Motivate and involve staff. Encourage employees to take part in brainstorming sessions. Employees can be delegated responsibility to offer their own innovative ideas to cut down on energy costs. Having an open dialogue about the things that could be changed about energy usage in your business is very important. This will allow you to create efficient work culture in your company.
3.    Schedule an energy audit for your facility. SDG&E offers free energy assessments to help ensure you are using energy efficiently. Learn more at sdge.com/BES to find out if areas can be identified to trim down your energy needs.
4.    Look out for small drafts that may leak air. Small drafts can result in businesses losing sometimes substantial portions of their heating and cooling costs. Proper air sealing of the work environment can eliminate those drafts.
5.    Keep control of your heating. Keeping your office temperature one degree down during winters can reduce the power it uses by up to 10%. Consider purchasing a smart thermostat, too.

By considering these steps, you could see changes in your energy bill. People often underestimate the little things they do at work, so promoting awareness about energy issues is very important. Not only will you be lowering your energy bill, you’ll also be promoting a healthy environment within your own workplace. For more ideas on how to save energy in your business, visit sdge.com/business.
 

A portable electric generator or small permanent standby generator can help keep your essential equipment running during a power outage. Before you run a generator for the first time, however, state law requires you to notify SDG&E. For safety tips and a video on choosing and using a generator, visit sdge.com/chooseagenerator.

Your energy costs are based on how much electricity you use and when you use it. To better reflect energy use patterns and the impact on the electric grid, the California Public Utilities Commission recently approved these changes, effective December 1, 2017.

Seasonal periods
Energy use aligns with two seasonal periods and the winter season now includes the month of May.
Winter: November 1 to May 31 (previously November 1 to April 30)
Summer: June 1 to October 31 (previously May 1 to October 31)

Time of use periods
The year-round On-peak period, when electricity is needed the most and you pay the highest price, is 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Shifting energy use to Off-peak or Super off-peak hours can help you save energy and money. Review your pricing plan at sdge.com/myaccount to understand how these changes might impact your business.
You’ll receive more information about these changes in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please call our Business Services team at 1.800.336.7343 or visit sdge.com/TOUplans.

Contact Carolyn Howard for more information on advertising in PassPort San Diego! The deadline for the next issue is December 15, 2017.

Carolyn Howard
Vice President
PassPort to San Diego, Inc.
619-251-4530 (Direct)
619-465-7550 (FAX)
www.PassPortToSanDiego.com