Elevating Green, Lowering Costs

The rising cost of oil is the most visible driver of growing interest in energy — but by no means the only one. Business owners of all kinds are paying more attention than ever to energy management for reasons that include escalating fuel and electricity prices, sustainability initiatives, carbon footprint reduction, and branding and public image.

In the 2011 Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey from the Institute for Building Efficiency, 66 percent of commercial building executives and managers in the United States and Canada said energy management was extremely or very important to their organizations, up from 52 percent in 2010.

Closer to the material handling world, energy efficiency is a key component of a global movement toward greening the supply chain. While much of the focus in warehousing has been on actual building systems, lift trucks use substantial energy and provide significant opportunities for savings.