Is High Energy Usage Hurting Your Bottom Line? These Five Proven Strategies Can Help Boost Efficiency

By Wallace Voltsworth

Inefficiency has a way of hiding in plain sight. It quietly drains your margins until it turns into a spike in operating costs or a frustrated customer. When your equipment is working overtime, you’re the one footing the bill. Smarter energy use stops those silent costs (and the customer gripes that come with them) before they stack up.

With Atlantic City Electric’s incentives covering up to 80% of total project costs, you can upgrade to energy-efficient equipment with confidence, cut waste, and reinvest where it counts.

Here are five proven ways to lower your energy usage and boost performance for your business and your customers:

Cut Energy Waste, Not Comfort

Upgrades like LED lighting, HVAC improvements, and smart controls reduce energy waste and help create brighter, cooler, more comfortable spaces for customers while lowering operating costs for business owners.

Example

A busy, mid-sized New Jersey restaurant with multiple refrigeration units and commercial ovens could save an average of $5,100 each year by upgrading to energy efficient models, greatly reducing energy usage. That’s money that can be spent on staffing, menus, or facility improvements that enhance customer experience.

Use Less with Help from Experts

Reducing energy usage doesn’t have to be complicated. Atlantic City Electric’s energy efficiency programs offer no-cost energy assessments, expert guidance, and vetted contractors, also known as Trade Allies, to streamline upgrades with minimal disruption. Incentives across our portfolio of programs can cover 70–85% of project costs so you spend less, save more, and maintain quality service along the way.

Lower Energy Usage and Raise Property Value

Energy-efficient spaces aren’t just cheaper to operate—they’re more attractive to buyers and tenants and better for everyone who works or lives in them. A recent study by a leading real estate firm found that 74% of decision-makers are willing to pay a premium for properties with green credentials, while more than half plan to do so by the end of this year.

Whether you own or lease, upgrades to energy-efficient equipment improve your building’s marketability, performance, and everyday comfort:

Manufacturing: Cuts compressed air system energy use by 20–30%
Retail: Smart lighting cuts energy up to 60%
Restaurants: Save up to $100 each year on high-efficiency commercial refrigerators and up to $430 on freezers
Offices: Automated controls reduce lighting and HVAC energy use by about 24%

These aren’t just upgrades, they’re strategic reductions in energy consumption that benefit everyone inside the building.

Create Consistency and Resilience

Efficiency means more than saving money. It means peace of mind for you and your customers. A well-maintained HVAC system can reduce energy bills by up to 20% annually while keeping spaces comfortable year-round, extending equipment life, and creating more predictable monthly usage.

When your systems are stable, so is your service, and that consistency matters to the people who rely on your business every day. Learn more about Atlantic City Electric’s Energy Management Program and Building Tune-up to help optimize your HVAC systems.

Get Ahead of Evolving Standards

From rising energy grid demand to state regulations, expectations are changing fast. Whether you're a small business or a large facility, our wide range of energy efficiency programs offer step-by-step support to help you meet evolving standards without guesswork or disruption so you can stay compliant, competitive, and focused on your customers.

Real-World Results

Through our Atlantic City Electric Prescriptive program, Five Below was able to upgrade 3,000 lighting fixtures at its South Jersey distribution center. With expert help and high-efficiency LED bulbs throughout the building, the company expects to save over 1 million kWh annually, cutting energy costs, lowering its energy footprint, and improving sustainability. Those savings create long-term value for both the business and its customers.

Stop Overspending and Start Saving

Whether you're upgrading lighting, optimizing existing HVAC systems, or seeking expert guidance, we have tools and incentives to help you reduce waste, build resilience, and support both your business and the communities you serve.

And with added tools like Energy Wise Rewards™ for Business and Business Energy Manager, you can capture even more savings and control.

What are you waiting for? Join the thousands of businesses in South Jersey that are saving on energy consumption while creating more comfortable, inviting experiences for their customers.

Visit Atlantic City Electric’s Energy Solutions for Business to get started today.