Energy Expert Matthew Shields

I'd like to ask you a question... typically in the past have you or your company only used very basic forms of advertisement and marketing to promote business. Maybe the phone book that is very expensive and lumps you right next to all of your competition, the weekly coupon mailer that you might run an ad in with hopes your clients will actually save the coupons for when they have a need for your product or service. Perhaps you have even tried to put together a direct mailing campaign that targets certain areas of the city. Yes you might be the best in the city but without having a finger on the pulse of your clients how do you know what they need? How do you know what type of advertising works and what doesn't? You can't expect to force someone into buying anything.

Times are changing. If you own your own business or company who is using the original forms of advertising and marketing that were used even 5 years ago chances are you could use a marketing overhaul. Your business may soon be left behind were you may not get to catch up. Each week more studies are being produced about the habits of people and how they are getting their information. Many are no longer relying on phone books newspapers or magazines to get their information. . If you are not found on the internet you run a real of slashing company profits. I'd like to ask you to think of what your best form of advertising is today. I'm sure most would say word of mouth advertising. If you did then you are absolutely correct.

By having the recommendation from a friend or family member or business associate Your chances to get the project increase dramatically. The issue arises however how do you stay in the persons mind long enough to remember who you are? Hopefully the business card that you gave your client will not be lost before they need your services again. How many cards do you save? Hopefully your target clients will hold onto their coupons that you spent the money on to send out week after week. If you're like most business owners this is exactly what you are hoping for. What if there is a better way to use the internet to your advantage were you will not only slash your advertising budget in half, but also will make you an expert in your field. This goes for any field not just internet based business. Traditional brick and mortar businesses don't have nearly as much competition on the internet as what other companies do. Chances are very good that if you think your business won't work on the internet, your competition is probably thinking the same thing. Your clients however are thinking something completely different, they are thinking that you are online. Who would you rather think like?

Matthew Shields
Start Marketing Online

Recently a number of contractors have asked how they can incorporate the internet into their business.  Most don't think what the internet folk call a "brick and morter" business can be marketed effectively online, much less have the advertising actually make them money.  If done properly the internet can have a huge dramatic effect on any business today.
I have created a site that specifically if for the business owners who say  "my business is different", or  "my clients don't look on the internet".  Lets face it the times are changeing, people want instant answers to their problems or questions.  Many people don't even use the phone book any more, if they are looking for some thing they and their fingers let Google do the walking. 

www.ezcontractormarketing.com will help those who are stuck in the stone age of advertising leap into the digital era. 

When was the last time that you have heard your phone book rep advertise any of these bennifits?

• Focused marketing, you are able to target your desired clients and weed out the people who are only "tire kickers" with out having to make a single phone call
• A loyal client base that looks to you and your company as being the respected expert in the field
• A HUGE decrease in your advertising budget while solidifying a much stornger connection with your client base

All done with less effort and time then your current means of advertising.  Check out the site you owe it to your business future to get on the internet now before your competition does

Matthew Shields
Energy Expert

Many companies and people out there today wonder what the best way to drive traffic to a web site is.  Some think that by the term "driving" that there is an easy simple way to hop on the Internet stomp on the gas and piles of willing people foaming at the mouth for your product or service are going to be flooding your virtual store front.

Unfortunately the Internet  doesn't actually work that easily.   There is plenty of work involved involved in actually getting someone to your door step.  Think of the old note in a bottle trick.  Your stuck on an island, called "dotcom" you know other people are out there and you very badly want to have company on your island paradise.  So you come up with a great solution to scribble a few notes on a piece of paper, roll it up shove it in a bottle and hearl it into the ocean. 

As you walk back up "dotcom" beach you feel so proud of your self...finally you are going to have some friends to talk to.  those people will know other people who you can talk to..the list goes on and on.

As the days tick by you think any minute now your going to see hordes of people in the horizon paddeling, swimming, running on the water just trying to get to the source of the genious letter in he bottle...Tick Tock Tick Tock

Days turn into weeks and weeks into months and still no hordes even making a ripple in the water...Just doesn't make any sence, why aren't they comming.  Your letter described this paradise perfectly.  Everyone should what to make it here.

Of course we all can see exactly what the problem is with the above story but how many people have described a paradise and wrote a letter and sent it out too sea in hopes that some one will find that letter?

 Lets see I'll be honest I have no idea how many websites there are on the Internet.  50 million? maybe more.  How many get traffic on a regular basis?  Maybe 1% of all sites on the interned.  So we have 49.5 million people out there wishing on one bottle.

The ones who are creating traffic must have pilfered the coke factory because they have bottles floating around every were.  The more floaters you have the better chance you have of being found.

One of the best ways of bottle stuffing is to write articles for article directories.  Don't think that you can dump a large number of articles off here and have them automaticaly flug out into the oacean to be found.  It does take time to have them approved and published.  If you have a few articles published every day soon you will have bottles floating out every were for the hordes to find

Matthew Shields
Energy Expert

If M&V Is Not Working

Sometimes, the best M&V Plan simply doesn't work out. When this happens, the first thing the parties should do is to sit down together to discuss it. In your discussion, be sure you are being realistic about the accuracy that the M&V Procedures offer. Keep in mind that some options only offer a +/- 10-20 percent accuracy. You may be expecting more than the Plan can deliver.

If the M&V isn't giving you the results you were expecting, the problem likely stems from the original baseyear calculations and/or the baseline adjustment provisions. After that, you need to perform a search to find out whether any modifications to the facility or procedures that may affect energy consumption have been made and not reported.

If none of these possibilities give you the answers you are looking for, then you will need to examine the individual EEMs. If you have been using Options C or D, you might want to isolate each EEM and measure the energy consumption rates.

Finally, it's possible that the M&V program itself simply hasn't worked. If you have concerns about the M&V specialist's work, the least expensive option may be to simply hire another M&V consultant to run a check and give you his or her opinion. Hiring a well-qualified person from the beginning is the better (and less expensive) option.

How to do you find this person? You ask for the following information as part of the hiring process:

•  Observations and recommendations about the facility and its processes and M&V needs

•  Thoughts on when the M&V professionals should become involved in the project

•  Costs of M&V compared to construction costs

•  Types of errors that can be expected with their approach

•  Types of measuring devices the M&V consultant would recommend

•  How M&V results will be reported

The bottom line here is that anything can be measured and it is possible to verify savings if you spend enough money to do so. If M&V becomes too expensive, then you won't be able to justify the cost.

You will need to weigh the question of cost vs. accuracy. The owner and the contractor need to get together and agree on their definition of a reasonable level of accuracy. Consider how much accuracy you can afford to buy and the owner and the contractor can justify.'

Matthew Shields

Energy Expert

Do you have Treasure in your walls?

My Name is Matthew Shields Author of Monergy.  Recently there has been a story in the news about an Ohio contractor that found $180,000.00 in the wall of a home he was renovating.  You hear about stories like this every now and then and I’m sure wonder “Do I have any money in my walls”

During the great depression it was very common for people to stash money away inside of their homes.  This money a lot of times was forgotten about or perhaps something happened to the person who put it there before he ever told anyone.

My company The Emc2 Group is an energy management consulting company.  We do energy evaluations for businesses and companies to determine what they can do to save energy, this directly adds to their bottom line.

As energy prices continue to rise the need to know how your home is using and losing energy is becoming more important.  Your home might very well be pick pocketing you and you have no idea.  When we perform an energy evaluation on your home we use an infrared camera to see inside of your walls.  We can detect not only were your hard earned cash is slipping through the cracks in your home but also

·         any water infiltration that could be damaging the largest investment you will make in your life

·         if you do have water  spilling into your home mold may be an issue, we can see that

·         older wiring with loose joints can cause arching and sparking which will create heat, and can cause a fire.  Did you know that FEMA reports during a typical year, home electrical problems account for 67,800 fires, 485 deaths, and $868 million in property losses. Home electrical wiring causes twice as many fires as electrical appliances. We can see if you have any issues with your wiring

·         Problems with heat ducts that  blow the expensive warm air to places that it doesn’t need to go, Do you have a cold room in your home?  You may have a problem with one of the heat ducts  that feed that room

We literally can see anything that might be hiding inside of your walls, things that can change your life for the better or for worse. 

Our website is www.TheEmc2Group.com.  There is more information there.

If you have any questions contact me through the website or leave a comment below

Matthew Shields

Energy Expert

Energy Management Services: Build or Buy?

Whether you decide to outsource energy management services or decide to deal with them in-house, you will need to consider the same types of issues. The main area where energy services may be needed will involve finding an outside energy manager or an energy management consultant. As part of the hiring process, you will need to get answers to these questions:

1.        What general impressions do they have about your organization and how it operates? Pay as much (or more) attention to what they don't see as what they see.

2.        Do they have a good level of knowledge about energy codes and standards?

3.        Are they familiar with energy efficiency financing options? Which ones are available to your organization?

4.        Do they know about your electric rate schedules and tariff conditions?

5.        What procedures would they recommend for conducting an internal analysis of your organization?

6.        What experience do they have in the area of economic analysis, including cost/benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness, time value of money, cost avoidance, and cost of delay?

7.        Are they prepared to guarantee that the savings your organization will get will pay for their services?

8.        What procedures do they use to measure results?

9.        Can they provide training in energy efficiency to your O&M personnel?

10.     How often will they be communicating with you, and what form will the communication take?

11.     How much will it cost for employee training and/or hiring new staff? Why does the consultant feel he or she can do a better job for you?

A good guideline to follow is that if you can create an energy manager's position (including space, support staff, a budget, etc.) for 10 percent of what you are paying in energy bills, then this is a cost-effective strategy for the organization.

Matthew Shields

Energy Expert

In order to work up a strategy for more effective energy management, it's essential that people working in different parts of the organization are able to understand each other. It may be tempting to use jargon that is very familiar to you but that may not be easy for the person you are speaking with to understand.

When you are trying to come to an understanding, always keep the other person (the one who is reading or listening to your proposal) in mind. Frame what you are saying in a way that they can grasp what your message is.

For example, if you need to get the attention of upper management or financial people in the organization, focus on how making changes will help the bottom line. Don't just make a statement, show them step-by-step why the organization will save more money by adopting energy efficient Operations and Maintenance practices than by investing in more "hardware." When man-hours in the operations and maintenance department are devoted specifically to improving energy efficiency, they pay for themselves very quickly.

You should also be prepared to point out that when companies attempt to trim the fat by cutting back on staff in Operations and Maintenance, this strategy will backfire. In this scenario, increased utility costs may well exceed savings on wages paid out.

Operations and Maintenance staff take their cue from their supervisors and managers. If someone in one of these positions lets it be known that a certain aspect of the energy management program won't work, then that's exactly what will happen. The staff will make sure that this happens.

The key to putting an effective energy management plan in place is for everyone involved to communicate effectively. This concept is just as true for managers as it is for staff members. If you want to get everyone on board, you need to present the idea from the point of view of WIIFM ("What's In It For Me"). Managers and financial types have their eyes on the bottom line, so make sure they understand the financial advantages to be gained from making changes to the energy program.

Staff members may be concerned about staying employed when the organization is looking at saving money. Once they understand that improved energy efficiency means savings that may mean they are less likely to be laid off, they will be supportive as well.

Matthew Shields

Energy Expert