Energy Consumption

• 1(expense) Energy, such as electricity, natural gas, gasoline, and fuel oil.
• 2Are your business energy costs linked primarily to:?
• 3About how many vehicles do you use in your business?
• 3aAre there vehicles on the market today that can perform substantially the same business tasks that you require of yours, yet use notable less energy? Do you believe that strongly or not so strongly?
• 3bConsidering all factors that influence your decision when you replace your business vehicles, will the energy efficiency of the vehicle you buy be:?
• 3cWhich best describes how you have changed operation of your business vehicles in the last year to compensate for higher gas and diesel prices?
• 4In what type of building or facility is the primary location of your business housed? Is it housed in a:?
• 4aIs the building free standing or attached?
• 4bWhich best describes the immediate area where your business is located?
• 4cApproximately, how many square feet does your business occupy in this building?
• 4dDoes your business occupy the entire building?
• 4eIn approximately what decade was the building constructed?
• 4fDo you own the building in which your business is primarily located or do you lease the space?
• 4gDo you pay the heating and/or cooling bill for your business directly or is that cost rolled into the rent or lease payment?
• 4g1Have you remodeled this building or large portion of it in the last three years in a way that had notably favorable effects of your heating and/or cooling costs?
• 4g2Do you plan to make any changes in this building over the next two or three years that will help reduce your heating and/or cooling costs?
• 4g3Does your business have a computer-controlled environment, that is, where heating and/or cooling are automatically adjusted for temperature, time of the day, day of the week and so forth?
• 4hDo you directly pay the bill for electricity to light your business, or is the electricity bill rolled into the rent or lease payment?
• 4h1Do you primarily light your business with:?
• 4h2Do you use outdoor lighting primarily for:?
• 4h3Do you have a computer-controlled lighting system that adjusts the lighting level for outside brightness or similar factors?
• 4iDo you use equipment or processes in your business that require large amounts of energy to operate? Examples include equipment that heats or cools like stoves or freezers, or large engines that power mechanical equipment, or processes such as drying brick.
• 4i1Would you estimate that you use more energy, at least in terms of cost, for this type of equipment than for space heating, space cooling, and lighting combined?
• 4i2Do you have a system that recycles excess heat or cold created by this equipment into other uses?
• 5Do you have a contract with your electric company that gives it the right to reduce the supply of electricity you receive during peak periods in exchange for a lower rate?Top 100 question
• 6Within the last three years, have you taken one or more steps to reduce the amount of energy your business consumes?Top 100 question
• 6aWhat were the most important steps you took? (Allow no more than two answers.)
• 6bWho has primary responsibility for selecting and implementing these energy-saving measures? Is it:?
• 7Are you aware of steps making economic sense that you can take to reduce your use of energy should energy costs rise another 25 percent?
• 8Does your business occupy space in a building or buildings other than its primary location, not including temporary facilities such as a construction site?
• 8aHow many more?
• 8bDo you own this building in which this part of your business is housed or do you lease it?
• 8b1Do you pay the heating and/or cooling bills for this business location?
• 8b2Do you directly pay the lighting bill for this business location?
• 9Does your business lease space to other businesses or people in any location?
• 9aAs a general rule, do your tenants pay their heating, cooling and lighting bills directly or do you pay them and then roll the costs into the rent?

Volume 6, Issue 3, 2006
ISSN 1534-8326

William J. Dennis, Jr.
NFIB Research Foundation