As a maintenance supervisor, one of my directives is to save money. Knowing that, you might find it puzzling that McMillan Electric Company air conditions and heats its dock. We have to. We're a motor manufacturer, and some of the components are temperature and humidity sensitive. In keeping with my prime directive, however, I've found ways to avoid sending dollars out of our dock openings.

First, working with Rite-Hite (800-456-0600, www.ritehite.com), we installed under-leveler dock seals at each of our seven dock doors. We've also added brush seals along the bottoms of the overhead doors and the sides of dock plates. This results in $1,738 per year per dock in energy savings. This paid for the equipment within a year.

The more energy-saving projects you implement, the more strategies you learn. One that Wisconsin companies like us can take advantage of is rebates. One program, called “Focus on Energy," helps residents and businesses implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. I thought this dock project would be a no-brainer for rebate eligibility, but they said the payoff was so good that the project offered its own justification.

They did, however, help us justify several other energy-saving projects:

We're replacing all our high-bay halogen lighting with T8 incandescents. Each fixture costs about $155 but we end up with twice the light at half the cost. We've already replaced 120 and have another 300 to go. If we finish by December 1, we'll get an extra $30 rebate per light on top of the $60 standard rebate. That means an extra $9,000 savings. Added savings come by adding motion sensors in lower traffic areas.

We have also received a $10,414 rebate for installing heat recovery units on our air compressors. We're looking at purchasing a 200 hp compressor with a variable frequency drive (VFD). Through Focus On Energy, we would qualify for a $70 per horsepower rebate. That's $14,000. Our existing 200 hp compressor runs at 70% of its capacity, With a VFD unit, we'd pay for what we use. We'll apply that $14,000 rebate toward the cost of the new compressor. Contact your local utility. Chances are they have a rebate program to help your management justify a journey to a greener future.