Savvy business executives are always looking for ways to decrease monthly expenses, and one of those expenses is the utility bill. If your business owns or operates in a commercial building, chances are that you are paying your utility costs directly or as part of your rent. Regardless of how you pay, you are probably paying too much! Perhaps your building has experienced lighting upgrades to help, but have you considered the high cost of heating and cooling on your monthly expenses? Most HVAC rooftop units (RTU) are using way too much energy to keep your customers or staff comfortable. It is not uncommon for these systems to operate even when the building is unoccupied. The good news is there are technology solutions to help operate your HVAC systems more efficiently and save you money.

Although modern buildings are being constructed to be more energy efficient, the nearly 5 million commercial buildings already in existence throughout the United States account for 40 percent of the country’s total energy use, according to Michael Deru, PhD, senior engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

“Most commercial buildings are inefficient, and the problem is growing …,” says Mr. Deru. “Even though we’re hopefully constructing buildings to be more energy efficient, there are still efficiency problems that need addressing. Not only is energy wasted, but businesses are paying for it.”

Although commercial buildings, especially older buildings, waste energy unnecessarily, opportunities exist to reduce their energy consumption. Regardless of a building’s age, there are steps businesses can take to reduce their building’s environmental footprint and ultimately save money.

One of the most significant energy-saving improvements that can be made to a building is upgrading the HVAC systems with Transformative Wave’s CATALYST technology. The CATALYST is a game-changing system that can reduce RTU energy use by up to 50 percent.

“If you have an older RTU, it’s probably not operating efficiently, and it’s probably costing you money,” says Mr. Deru. “An older RTU will have fans that run continuously, whether or not the building is occupied. Its compressors will waste a lot of energy. The controls might not be efficient, like not allowing the system to ramp down when it doesn’t need to be on. Old RTUs waste a lot of electricity and energy.”

Nearly 70 percent of all commercial buildings use an RTU to control heating, air conditioning and ventilation. Because of their important role, RTUs account for anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of a building’s total energy consumption. Unfortunately, most RTUs aren’t just large energy consumers, they’re also large energy wasters.

That’s where the CATALYST can help. As noted, the CATALYST can reduce RTU energy use by up to 50 percent. It is so effective that it is the only RTU retrofit solution to be validated by the DOE.

While your building’s RTU might be old and inefficient, replacing it isn’t always financially feasible. The good news is Rocky Mountain Power’s wattsmart® program is partnering with Transformative Wave to bring the CATALYST retrofit solution to businesses. Rocky Mountain Power is offering financial incentives of up to $4,500 per RTU to businesses that choose to retrofit their outdated RTU with this ground-breaking technology.

Regardless of your size, you can add your rooftop HVAC systems to the more than 10,000 units already enjoying the benefits and savings from the CATALYST. Multiple impartial utility studies show that installing the CATALYST ultimately saves businesses thousands of dollars in heating and cooling costs. In fact, customers have reported HVAC savings of up to 70 percent.

The CATALYST solution works by optimizing HVAC operations through a combination of state-of-the-art technology with hardware, sensors, and intelligence. The CATALYST provides control over fan speed; measures and manages temperatures, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, and space pressure; and automatically adjusts airflow to protect HVAC equipment while still delivering comfort and ensuring indoor air quality. In short, the CATALYST transforms outdated RTUs into smart units that will ultimately decrease electricity costs, save energy, and create a more comfortable environment for occupants. It’s a win-win-win solution. That’s why companies like H&M, Whole Foods Market and McDonalds’s have already acted to retrofit their RTUs with the CATALYST, resulting in astounding energy and cost savings. Whole Foods Market, for example, retrofitted 839 units, resulting in an estimated savings of 7.6 million kWh, worth $747,000 annually.

As an added benefit, the CATALYST is complemented by the optional eIQ Platform, a web-based platform that monitors RTU system performance and provides alerts and diagnostic information in real time. The wireless, web-based eIQ Platform allows customers to remotely make control temperature adjustments, change schedules, and identify and resolve common service issues before they become costly problems. And when there is a problem with your RTU, you will be notified immediately, which significantly reduces down-time and saves costs.

Taken together, the CATALYST and eIQ Platform will transform your RTU into a smart efficient machine that is good for Utah and saves you money. With Rocky Mountain Power offering some of the highest incentives in the nation for the CATALYST, there’s no better time than now to get started.

To learn how your business can Catch the Wave and take advantage of Rocky Mountain Power’s wattsmart incentives to install the CATALYST, visit catchthewave.info today.