What`s Happening at EASI

Transcription

What`s Happening at EASI
Energy Automation
Systems, Inc.
January & February 2004
What’s Happening at EASI
Inside this issue:
By: Dr. Paul Bleiweis, President
I thought I would take this opportunity to update all of our Affiliates on some new, exciting
things that have been recently implemented by
EASI. I also wanted to update all of you on
some recent staff changes. Finally, we had our
first Affiliate Advisory Council meeting and I
wanted to briefly describe the meeting.
As you know, over the past few years, EASI
has implemented a number of new programs
and modified some older ones to assist our Affiliates in making your businesses more successful. All of you know how great the Help
Desk has been; the savings verification program; the ESP program; the OSP program; etc.
In April, we will begin offering the first in a
series of Continuing Education classes for our
Affiliates or your designees. The first class to
be offered is Project Management. This class
will be primarily taught by Vince Marshall, one
of our best new hires in many years (see more
on Vince below). It will be given here, in Hendersonville, on April 21-23rd, 2004 (MondayWednesday). It will focus on practical applications and solutions to program management
issues that will help your EASI business and
EASI installations run more smoothly, leading to higher profits. It will be very interactive and you will receive a number of aids
that you will be able to take home with you
and use in your business.
The second Continuing Education class will
be given in mid-May (probably May 17th 19th , 2004) and will focus on Sales and
Marketing. It will differ quite a bit from the
sales and marketing you received in Dealer
training. It will stress real-world situations
that you have or will face and how to more
effectively make appointments, sell surveys,
and close system sales. Bill Thiessen will be
responsible for the class but will employ a
number of other individuals and resources to
help him.
The third class, Product Applications, will
be taught by Bob Depalo and his staff. It will
provide the “whys” and “hows” of specifying and installing all of the EASI products
that we offer. The class will be given in June
of this year and will also be 3 days in length.
Continued on page 2
Selling Your EASI
Dealership
3
World Business Review
4
Tradeshow Success
6
EASI University Continuing Education
7
Welcome Vince Marshall 8
Letters to the Editor
8
Project Management
Training
9
Tracking Down that
Pesky First Sale
11
Using FreeKW
12
The ‘Plug ‘n’ Play’
MicroLiner
18
EASI ON AIR
EASI will be appearing in a panel discussion
on Alexander Haig's “World Business Review
(WBR).”
The panel members are (from left to right) Joseph Merlo, Alexander Haig, Dr. Paul Bleiweis
and Vince Marshall . The filming for the show
was successfully completed on January 21st
2004 and was in response to your request for
increased national advertising during the Affiliate Open Forum. This program will be a
great promotional tool for you and footage
material will be available to use for prospecting and sales purposes.
For more on this story please turn to page 4.
Page 2
What’s Happening at EASI
By: Dr. Paul Bleiweis
Continued from page 1
The nominal fee for each of these three day classes is $1,500 per class per person. As discussed in the first Affiliate Open forum
in October 2003, we will be discounting the class fees for all Affiliates who attend the first courses offered this year. The fee per
class per person for those who wish to attend will be $750.00. This does not include your hotel. A “sign up” e-mail will be sent
out to all of our Affiliates shortly for the Project Management class. Sign up early, as space will be limited.
As many of you know, we have had some staff changes over the past few months. Carol Machado sold her house and moved to
Indiana to be with her children. Everyone at EASI will miss Carol and we know that you will as well.
Matt Deck was hired a few months ago as our IT Supervisor. Matt is an IT specialist, has an AA degree in Electronic Engineering
and is currently completing his BS degree in Database Technologies. Matt has been a superb addition to our staff. He is in
charge of all of our networks, websites, and other IT needs. He has also helped many of our Affiliates with their IT problems and
needs. Matt can be reached via e-mail at matt@easipro.com.
As mentioned above, we recently were very lucky in hiring Vince Marshall as Director of Corporate Projects. Vince will provide
Affiliates with sales and technical support; project management help; and general assistance in developing new, strategic business relationships with companies that can augment EASI’s core offerings. Vince was a Navy engineer for a number of years. He
mostly recently worked at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), one of the largest utilities in the world, as a senior project manager. One of his duties was to teach project management to TVA engineers. He also performed energy surveys and audits and
made energy conservation recommendations to TVA customers. Vince has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. Vince
can be reached via e-mail at vince@easipro.com.
Brenda Bleichner was recently hired and will be working as an Administrative Assistant in our Front Office. Kathy Harris will be
assuming many of Carol’s duties and Brenda will pick up Kathy’s previous duties plus help Joelle with EPAC. Brenda can be
reached via e-mail at brenda@easipro.com
In a related development, Philip Rastocny, our ex-COO, has been added to our OSP list. Philip, as many o f you know, is a degreed
electrical engineer and a degreed project manager. He will be available to our Affiliates, through the OSP program, to support
your technical and project management needs. Philip can be reached at (615) 451- 7773 or via email at grasslandscorp@att.net
.
Philip is a great resource for all of you.
Finally, we had our first Affiliate Advisory Council meeting a few weeks ago. From my perspective, it went very well. I have
asked the Council to put together a report which will be published in the next newsletter. We reviewed progress of the Top 10
(that’s really 9) recommendations made at the October Forum. I think everyone felt that EASI has made great progress in most
areas and will be able to complete many of these items in short order.
One area that we have worked on very diligently is the area of public relations. We have almost completed the overdue marketing
video. We were sidetracked by something that Joe and I feel will be hugely valuable to all of you. Joe, Vince, and I recently
filmed a segment of “World Business Review” hosted by Alexander Haig. I am sure all of you know of Mr. Haig. It was a terrific
experience and we focused on what EASI does, how we do it, and how it can benefit your customers. It will be aired in 6 weeks
or so on CNBC, MSNBC, Public TV, BRAVO, TECH TV, and United Airlines in-flight TV. It is a 15 minute segment and we
will also have the footage that can be used by us and you to show to your customers. One of the major benefits of a program like
this is that General Haig will be sending out up to 1000 e-mails to a list of individuals and companies that we provide him, announcing the program. Alvin, in the next few days, will be soliciting your input (e-mail addresses) for any people or companies
you want to view the show. It will be a great marketing tool, so start thinking about what customers or others you want to view
this broadcast.
Sadly, we regret the passing of two EASI Affiliates in January this year. The entire EASI staff wishes to express their sympathies
to the families of Resty Jose and Steve Smith. Please accept our prayers and condolences.
I think I have taken up more than my allotted space (Alvin may get mad at me). Continue your good work and please don’t hesitate to contact any of us with suggestions, problems, and, yes, even compliments.
Page 3
Selling Your EASI Dealership
By: Joseph C. Merlo, CEO
Occasionally, I am asked by an Affiliate: Can I sell my Dealership? What are EASI’s policies concerning the sale of my business?
Can I expect any help from EASI? How much should I ask for my business? What can the purchaser of my business expect from
EASI? Will he be an outcast or an orphan? Okay, let’s talk about it.
First, your EASI Dealership is an asset. It is no different than any other asset, for example, real estate. You can sell all, or part, of
your Dealership, assign it, or pass it on to an heir. There are a number of reasons why a Dealer will sell his or her Dealership. It
could be for health reasons, divorce, inactivity, retirement, or loss of interest. Sometimes, an Affiliate will sell part of their company
and take on a partner. The partner may contribute capital, or a complimentary skill such as sales and marketing, business contacts,
management experience, etc.
The “Assignability” clause in your Dealership Agreement allows for the sale of all, or part, of your Dealership with EASI’s written
consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld. There are just a few reasonable requirements to gain our written consent.
First, we need to know who will be representing us. We will require contact information and a brief description of the purchaser’s
background or qualifications.
Second, if someone new will be representing us, he must complete the new Affiliate training course before he conducts business.
The training fee is currently $2,500, to be paid in advance by the purchaser or seller. The purchaser will pay for his travel and lodging. The seller should provide the purchaser all of the demonstration and test equipment, books, manuals, etc. that came with the
original Dealership. There are no other transfer fees or costs. Upon completion of the training the purchaser will be entitled to the
same services and support as the original Dealer and subject to the same terms and provisions of the original Dealership Agreement,
whether it is Entry Level or Full.
Finally, the purchaser should be someone resulting from the Affiliate’s own efforts and not have had any previous contact with
EASI concerning the purchase of a Dealership.
If an Affiliate wishes to sell his business, EASI will help in any reasonable way. A great deal of expense and effort has gone into
recruiting, training, and working with each Affiliate. It’s our desire for EVERY Affiliate to be fully productive. If an Affiliate cannot, or will not, work his business it is in our mutual best interest to help sell the business to someone who is able to grow it.
The best prospective buyers are usually people who have had some exposure to your business. It may be an associate or employee, a
customer, a local contractor, or anyone that has, at some time, expressed an interest in your business. Advertising your business for
sale in the Business Opportunity section of a city newspaper can be an economical way to find prospects. In any case, it will be your
job to find prospective buyers. You should conduct preliminary conversations or meetings, perform a demonstration, direct the prospect to your, or our, web site, etc. If you request, we will send him an information package similar to the one you received. At some
point, he will usually want to speak to someone at EASI. Most often, it will be me or Paul. We are glad to do it and will work just as
hard for you as we would for EASI. If your buyer wants to visit EASI, we’ll arrange an appointment. Just let us know how we can
help. We will not speak to your prospect while you’re in negotiations unless you ask.
When pricing your business you should consider what value, in addition to the Dealership, you are including. For example, your
customer base, pending proposals, tangible property such as equipment, office furniture, fixtures, vehicles, etc. If you are selling just
your Dealership, then you will probably have to price it substantially lower than EASI’s current price.
If you’ve thought about selling your business because you’ve been inactive for a while why not consider returning for a “refresher”
course. The training course is continually evolving. You will gain fresh ideas, replenish your enthusiasm, and perhaps get a much
needed “kick in the pants.” New success stories are being written every day. If someone else can do it, why not you?
Page 4
World Business Review
By: Vince Marshall
“Sit up straight. Don’t slouch. Keep your hands on the table and keep your attention on the person that is speaking. Don’t look at
the cameras.” “Keep your answers short, under sixty seconds if possible.” “Mr. Merlo, that last answer was a bit too long. We
need to do your last answer over again. Can you repeat that? Joe Merlo replied, “No.”
These were some of the instructions given to Joe Merlo, Paul Bleiweis and me during taping of World Business Review with
Alexander Haig on January 21 in Boca Raton, Florida. World Business Review (WBR) is a business information program that
showcases new technologies from around the world. It is hosted by Mr. Haig and directed by Emmy Award winning Alan Levy.
General Haig was very congenial and quite entertaining. Approaching 80 years old, the General, who likes to be called Al,
shared stories of his past exploits and answered questions that we had.
WBR is distributed on CNBC, Public TV, Bravo, Tech TV, United Airlines international flights and on Asia Television in Hong
Kong. The show's format is a newsmagazine style and provides education about the latest topics, trends and issues in a variety of
industries. WBR features On-Location field footage illustrating business strategies and technologies in their application along
with commentary from leading corporate executives and industry experts.
The On-Location filming was just completed in Tennessee and is set for early February. The show will then be edited and scheduled for broadcast approximately 30—45 days from now. We will provide broadcast dates and times to Affiliates as soon as the
program is scheduled.
Prior to worldwide airing, General Haig will send out 1,000 emails on behalf of EASI and our Affiliates. Please submit a list of
emails for distribution to ensure notification is provided to interested parties to alvin@easipro.com . This program will also be a
great long-term promotional tool for Dealers. CDs or DVDs will be available to use for prospecting and sales purposes.
(continued on page 5)
Page 5
World Business Review
By: Vince Marshall
(continued from page 4)
Accomplishments of General Alexander Haig
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Secretary of State for Ronald Reagan
Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command for President Gerald Ford
Senior Military Advisor to Dr. Henry Kissinger
White House Chief of Staff for President Nixon
4 Star General in Japan, Korea, Europe, & Vietnam
Former President & COO of United Technologies Corp.
Senior Advisor to United Technologies Corp.
Board of Directors for America Online
Board of Directors for MGM Gran
Board of Directors for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
5 Easy Steps to Access the EASI Message Board
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Go to the Affiliate Support Site www.easiworld.com
On the menu on the left-hand side, go to Links
On the Links page, click on EASI Message Board.
You will then be directed to the MBA (Membership by Approval) page. On this page, you may
either register for the Message Board (if you are not already a Member) or log into the Message
Board (if you are already registered as a member).
If you have any difficulty and would like us to walk you through this, please contact Alvin Juma at
(615) 822-7251 ext. 237.
Page 6
TradeShow Success
By: Joe Dupee, EASI Affiliate, Dupee Group, Inc.
Joe Dupée of the Dupée Group, Inc. feels he has beaten the record for number of demos done in a two day period!
DGI Dupée Group, Inc. of Pennsylvania recently worked a trade show in their area with significant success. They received 50
qualified leads from the show and have done 12 walk through appointments.
The two day trade show, which was held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day, resulted in 50 leads which equates to 5 leads per
hour. That is a lot more than ever received making cold calls!
The trade show booth was set up to attract potential customers and it sure did the trick. We had people in the booth and people
lined up in the aisles waiting to see the demonstration and to talk with us about how soon we could meet with them.
Dupée Group, Inc. wishes to thank Matt Jones of Align Energy, Inc. of Arizona for the use of his graphics for the trade booth.
This is how all EASI affiliates should work together. Because of Matt’s help, we were able to put together our trade show booth
in a short amount of time. We felt it looked professional and helped promote EASI name recognition in our market place. Dupee Group, Inc. and Align Energy, Inc. will be working together on any leads that develop in Matt’s market place from this
show.
A Way to Clear Skepticism
By: Barry Goslin
After having done the demo, some customers still believe that the EasiLiner is just a magic box.
To overcome this skepticism, I often offer to leave an EasiLiner with the instructions for installation and let the client have their
electrician install the unit. I would then follow up with a visit to the facility and bring along the Fluke 43B Power Meter. With
my Power Meter, I take measurements of the amperage drop, power factor improvement and harmonics. Once the client sees that
this really does work, it often clears any doubts that he may have had about the EasiLiner reducing the kilowatt consumption.
Sometimes it pays to invest a little money into your company so you can reap the benefits.
Page 7
EASI University - Continuing Education
By: Bill Thiessen
EASI is pleased to announce the addition of three new training classes to follow our Affiliate training program.
These classes will continue to equip you and your people for a successful business with EASI.
Project Management: April 21st – 23 rd , 2004
This three day class is designed to give you a fuller understanding of how to implement an EASI project for optimized efficiency. Topics include how to lead a team, conduct information interviews, develop a work plan, how to
estimate work, monitoring and controlling projects and much more. This is an excellent class to enhance your project
management skills to make your jobs more profitable and efficient.
This class will be taught by Vince Marshall, a former TVA Senior Project Manager, a Certified Energy Manager with
a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration. His knowledge and great sense of
humor will keep you enthralled during the three days of training.
Advanced Sales Training: May 17 th – 19 th, 2004
This class will take you or your sales rep one step further than EASI has gone before. It features hands on training
with role play by Joe Merlo and Paul Bleiweis. You be the customer and have the experts show you why you need
EASI. Handling objections, cold calling, prospecting, presenting Conditional Agreements and contracts, and closing
the sale will be the major areas to be covered.
Even if you have been to EASI sales training class before, you will find areas of improvement to meet your demanding questions about selling.
Product Applications: June 14 th – 16 th .
Products, products, products – how they work and how to install them! Bring your questions and find answers on
what to do and what not to do during installation. An in-depth look at the products, the technology behind the products, and how to install them. This class will be good for EASI Affiliates, electricians and engineers alike. Bob Depalo, EASI’s Director of Engineering will be teaching this class.
All three of these classes will be extremely worthwhile to all EASI Affiliates regardless of your stage of progression
as an Affiliate.
The nominal fee for each of these three day Continuing Education classes is $1500 per person. A 50% off certificate
is available to all who attend the first set of classes. Contact Bill Thiessen (bill@easipro.com or 615-822-7251, ext
229) to request your discount and make your reservations early, as classes will fill up fast.
Page 8
Welcome Vince Marshall
Vincent W. Marshall, EASI’s Director of Corporate Projects, is a Mechanical Engineer who received a Masters in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University. He is also a Certified Energy Manager with twenty years of experience in the energy
industry.
Vince began his career with eleven years active duty service as a U.S. Navy Engineer, was honorably discharged, then worked in
the private sector providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy savings to his clients. He was recruited from a small energy consulting company by The Tennessee Valley Authority in 1999.
While a Senior Project Manager at TVA, he implemented Energy Savings Performance Contracts on their behalf, including a
four year quest to help the State of Tennessee lower energy costs. As a result, in December of 2002, a final tri-party contract was
signed by the State, Nashville Electric Service and TVA. This long term effort created savings of approximately $1 million per
year ($80,000 per month) on the Andrew and Rachel Jackson buildings in downtown Nashville.
Vince’s knowledge and experience prior to and during his tenure with the Tennessee Valley Authority gives EASI an advantage
unmatched by any other energy consulting firm. Hands on experience with TVA rates and contracts, negotiation strategies, and
an inside working knowledge of the entire energy industry is highly advantageous to the EASI’s client base. This advantage begins with the creation of immediate savings via rates and tariffs and continues with guidance and selection of the appropriate
energy saving products available in the marketplace, implementation of those products in conjunction with operational savings
and ultimately, an energy conservation state-of-mind which will continue to produce savings for the company.
Letters to the Editor
Alvin,
This is just a quick note to thank you for bringing the IRS Section 179 implications to my attention. We recently sold a small customer, and the only reason we got the sale was directly related to this accelerated depreciation. When we first quoted them a
price of $19,271.09 with a 37.2 month payback, they told us that they needed to think about it. After giving them two weeks, I
called and they told me that the ROI just wasn't attractive enough for them to buy the system. During that conversation, I told
them that our project would qualify for consideration under the revisions to IRS section 179, and that I would work up the numbers for them.
When I presented the attached table to them the next week, they signed the contract. I understand that this is a very small sale,
but it is one that we wouldn't have made without showing them the current tax advantages available to them. I now use this type
of table every time I submit a contract to a prospect.
Thanks again for your help.
Dan Stehlin
Hi Joey!
Hope your flight went well! Thank you so much for spending valuable time with us and helping us put together our first EASI
audit. We certainly appreciated your spirit and look forward to the venture ahead with this project.
Please thank your wife and family for allowing us to have you with us for the last few days, as I know how important and valuable family time is! Please tell them we could not do this without your assistance so, not only are you supporting your family,
you are also helping another family in Canada and we thank you and them for the sharing extending that gift to us.
I certainly hope the pictures you took turn out so family & friends can see the great wildlife that roams the streets of Jasper. I
hope you had a wonderful experience in the majestic Rocky Mountains of Western Canada. It would be great if your family could
come to the Rocky Mountains this summer and see God’s handiwork for themselves, as I know they will find nature's
beauty breathtaking.
They say people are put in our lives for a reason. You and yours will always be welcome to come to visit (and fish) and enjoy
some relaxing time in the mountains of Canada - always remember the sound of snowflakes hitting your cheek up at Pyramid
Lake. That relaxing silence was the balancing of our hectic lives - its God’s way of peacefully recharging our bodies and souls.
Thank you again!
Dave Stayko
Page 9
Project Management Training
By: Vince Marshall
Beginning in April, EASI will offer a three day Project Management training course for Affiliates. This course will offer an indepth approach to all aspects of Project Management and is designed to help Affiliates become more productive and efficient
while managing multiple, complex projects.
Some of the major topics to be covered are:
Day One
a.) Core Concepts of Project Management
• Why it is important to be good at Project management
• Functions of the Project Manager
b.) Leading and Directing Project Teams
c.) How to Conduct Information Interviews
•
Interview Checklist General and technical questions
• Consolidating information after the interview
d.) Developing the Work Plan for your Project
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Templates
e.) Defining Task Interdependencies and Creating Network Logic Diagrams
•
Types of Network Diagrams
• Critical paths
Day Two
a.) How to Estimate Work
• Plan parameters and guidelines
• Estimating Risk
• Variances and causes of variations
• Improving estimates
b.) How to Produce an Integrated Project Plan
•
Parts of a project plan
• Spreadsheets
• Scheduling and planning
• Resources and budgetary constraints
• Process control
• Assessing risk
c.) Monitoring and Controlling Projects
• Gathering and keeping support form project sponsor
• Methods of Project control
• Conducting meetings
• Tracking progress
• Labor hours and cost reporting
• Project manager as a gatekeeper
• Managing scope changes
(continued on page 10)
Page 10
Project Management Training
(Continued from page 9)
d.) Closing Projects
• Project Closure
• Project endings
• Acceptance by customer
• Lessons learned
• Performance reports
• Releasing staff
• Summary
Day Three
a.) Microsoft Project
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Basic use
Gantt Charts
Producing useful reports
b.) Simulated EASI Project
• Selling customer
• Free kW scheduling and applications
• Receiving permission and check for a Detailed Energy Study (DES)
• Scheduling DES with customer and contractor
• Interviewing DES contractor ( This can be done in advance)
• Interviewing electrical contractors
• Creating actual contracts with vendors for your job
• Negotiating terms and conditions with vendors
• Presenting DES results to customer
• Getting commitment and check for equipment
• Scheduling and completing Pre install survey
• Who has risk if equipment is ordered incorrectly?
• Minimizing risk
• Receiving order and storing equipment
• Scheduling install around customer’s timeframe and production
• Estimating install time
• Creating MS Project file for this project and providing customer with Gantt chart
• Keeping customer in the loop during install
• Job site security
• Job site cleanliness
• Contractor/vendor oversight and guidance
• Help from EASI home office
• Completing install
• Testing and acceptance
• Measurement and verification after the install
• Letter of recommendation and leads for new projects
This course is designed to prepare an Affiliate for most predictable issues that may arise during a typical EASI project installatiotion. While each job will always be different, there are similarities on all equipment installations that will occur over and over
again. We want to provide the most assistance possible to help each Affiliate to succeed.
Tracking Down that Pesky First Sale
By: Chuck Lindley, EASI Affiliate, American Power Solutions
Page 11
You say that pesky first EASI sale isn't so EASI. Well, you're probably correct, but sometimes that First Sale might be looking
you right in the eye without you knowing it. Let me tell you a little story of how my First Sale came about.
Let me first qualify this story by saying, after purchasing an EASI dealership, I did what was necessary for me (as a nonelectrical person with a sales background) and downloaded every EASI form, article, letter, bought all of the needed EASI catalogs, purchased a Falex Lubricity Testing Machine and literally drove Merlo and the rest of the EASI staff crazy with questions
on the dynamics of electricity and how the EASI products interacted with these dynamics. Finally, after reading every article for
the thousandth time, it took hold and I was ready to start selling this business.
I went about the task of signing a number of acquaintances to Bird Dog contracts, to use their clients for my initial presentations.
I had everything organized and my potential clients ranked based on their electricity bills and number of total facilities within
their organization.
Then one afternoon, while playing golf with friends, I overheard my cart riding partner talking with someone on his cell phone. I
heard the word 'manufacturing facility' in the conversation and after the call ended, I asked my buddy about the manufacturing
facility. Not knowing what he actually did, he explained that he was a meat broker (not just a golfer) and the person on the other
end of the phone was a large sausage manufacturer who's products he brokered. This was the start of an interesting chain of
events that led to our First Sale.
The following day I met with my golf buddy (Burk) and his business partner (Fred) to explain the workings of my EASI business. They were impressed, assured me that they had plenty of clients who could use my service, signed the Independent Rep.
contracts and were off and running. The sequence of events that followed were pretty interesting and prove that this First Sale
can come from any direction, but you must be prepared to track it to it's den.
The Sequence
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Golfing buddy (Burk) catches my ear during a cell phone conversation and after a verbal exchange on what it is that we both
do, shows an interest in my EASI business as a Rep.
Introduction of his partner (Fred) who has additional contacts and signs on as a Rep. as well.
Fred sets up appointment to meet with chain of supermarkets that he sells products to.
Meet with Fred at local restaurant to discuss strategy before supermarket meeting.
Fred sees a friend at the restaurant (Lew) and we explain our motive for our supermarket meeting.
Lew mentions that his former company used a great deal of electricity and that he would be happy to assist in a meeting.
A few days later Lew makes a call and we set up a meeting with the plant manager of his former manufacturing facility.
That facility manager is very impressed with our EASI system and calls a sister facility manager, just down the road, and
tells him to take a look at what we have as well.
After an impressive presentation the plant manager explains that they are in the process of adding much needed equipment
to their facility, as was the first facility that we visited, and until that equipment is installed and up and running I should take
a look at their extruding facility, which uses even more power then these two manufacturing plants.
He calls the extruding company manager and we make an appointment to visit that facility
A presentation to him and his facility electrical engineer was very positive but he needed some time to discuss it with his
corporate executives.
The facility and the plant manager are extremely busy and I couldn't get in touch with him for a response, so after a few
weeks I thought it was time to call in my big gun,,,LEW.
We meet with Lew at his favorite pub and tell him about our meetings and although impressed we could not get back with
the extruding plant manager.
LEW, who ran this corporation before retirement, asked for my cell phone. One call to Jamey (the extruding company mgr.)
and we were heading off for a lunch meeting.
I eventually sold the project and we're now in the early stages of treating the other 20 facilities owned by this corporation
The beginning of our First Sale trail started with an overheard cell phone call on the golf course, and ended in EASI riches. Each
Trail to Success will be a little different, some may be longer than mine, others will be shorter, but they are out there. Recognizing your trail, getting yourself on it, taking along the right supplies for the journey, then venturing on down this trail will be one
of the Keys to finding your EASI riches.
Page 12
Using FREEKW
By: Philip Rastocny, EASI Affiliate, Grasslands Corporation
The FreeKW software is very helpful in making and closing sales, but I have personally found that it is highly misunderstood.
After working with Alvin Juma for hours at a time, here is a brief explanation on exactly how to determine what number to put in
where.
For this explanation, we will use a hypothetical example of a 5-story government building (2 stories above plus 3 stories of underground parking and offices) whose posted hours of operation on the door are 8:00-4:30, Monday through Friday. It has a
monthly bill of $30,000 and an average consumption of 500,000 kWh per month, no existing PF correction, 4-6 segments, over
500’ wire runs, and only one meter. The motor inventory is described below.
The first thing you need to determine before filling out the form is the number of hours per week the client actually occupies the
building (larger than the number of business hours) and the actual time that the motors in the building are in use (most likely
much smaller than the hours the building is occupied). The instructions below show where these two values are used in the
FreeKW program but the load mix percentages (the first number entries on the FreeKW form) require knowledge of these numbers.
The Equipment (motor) load is easily determined by the data you recorded in your walk-through form. The other load percentages are entered by your best observed estimates for that facility. You already know the kWh usage per month so knowing how
many kWh the motors themselves use easily determines this percentage. To do this, you add up the AVERAGE HP for each motor range (0-2, etc.) and multiply this value by the actual time the motors are in use. Then multiply this number by 4.3 (number of
weeks in a month) to get the percentage. An example of this is shown below:
HP Range
Average
No. of Motors
Calculation
Results
0—2
1
6
1*6=
6
3—10
6.5
10
6.5 * 10 =
65
10—24
17
0
17*0 =
0
25—50
37.5
10
37.5 * 10 =
375
50—99
75
0
75 * 0 =
0
100—499
300
0
300 * 0 =
0
500—999
750
0
750 * 0 =
0
Total
446
So in this example the total average HP is 446. Now we multiply this number by the actual time the motors are in use. As described in step 3a below, we have figured this to be 30 hours. So the calculation is 446*30=13,380. Then, we multiply these results by 4.3 so the calculation is: 13,380*4.3=57,534. Next, we divide this number by the average monthly consumption (here
500,000kWh) and we obtain the percentage of kWh that the motors use (Equipment %). So the calculation is:
57,534/500,000=0.115 or 11.5% .
Now with this information, you can start filling out the FreeKW form knowing that the motor load percentage is about 11.5%.
All other percentages should be adjusted around this number. You should ask the client if they know precisely what their load
mix is. Some will have the answer off the top of their head and others will have to think about it. But most will know so use their
data and know that the figure determined above is an excellent starting place if they do not.
1. Enter your basic customer information on the first page and then click on SUBMIT.
Page 13
Using FreeKW
By: Philip Rastocny
(continued from page 12)
2. Enter your load mix percentages and fixed data from your walk-through and any insight obtained from your client on the second
page. From our observations and the quick Equipment % calculation explained earlier, we estimated the values as Lighting=40%,
A/C=28.5%, Refrigeration=0%, Equipment=11.5%, and Resistive=20%. Then click SUBMIT.
Page 14
Using FREEKW
By: Philip Rastocny
(continued from page 13)
3. The three fields in the Average hours of operation per week section can be figured out as follows:
a. Hours per Week in Production Areas. This is the actual time all motors listed in the Equipment Loads sections are in use
during the week (for Office areas see point 3b. below), here 60. So in our example of this local government building, these motors are estimated by the client to be in use only half of the time, or 30. Clients usually say that their motors are in use all of the
time of operation but this is rarely true. Most motors, like blowers and compressors, regularly cycle on and off. Some shut down
while operations end and others continue to cycle even though no one is present. Elevator motors are used only as the load is
lifted (gravity is used for descent) and then for only a brief interval. Ask the client once he/she understands this cycling issue and
use this value here.
b. Hours per Week in Office Areas. This value is how many hours per week does your client actually occupy the building.
You must remember that this is not the same as the posted business hours since people will come in early and leave late. In this
example, if we assume an 8.5-hour day, 5 days per week as posted on the door, we would get a number of 42.5 hours. But this is
wrong. After discussing this issue with the client, we found that people are actually present for closer to 12 hours per day for a
correct value of 60.
c. Hours per Week in Warehouse/Storage Areas. Total hours of operating hours of the warehouse or storage areas (here 0).
After discussing this issue with the client, you may find that people are actually present longer than the posted operating hours of
business. Again, talk to the client and use that value.
4. Equipment Loads. Transfer the data from your walk-through sheet into this area. This data determines the equipment load percentage as described at the beginning of this article. Note that equipment loads are those motors that run everything except A/C
or refrigeration. Air exhaust motors are part of the equipment load but all motors associated with the A/C or Refrigeration system
– such as A/C compressors, chiller pumps, and blower (VAV) motors – are not. Do not duplicate motors between sections. If you
do, there will be too many motors listed for the kWh used by the building.
Page 15
FREEKW
By: Philip Rastocny
(continued from page 14)
5. Synchronous Motors. If there are any synchronous motors, enter them here. Note that synchronous motors are not the same as
variable speed drives, variable frequency drives, or DC motors. Synchronous motors use the line frequency (50 or 60Hz) to control the speed of the motor. Ask your client if they use any synchronous motors, if you do not know for certain.
6. If you filled out this FreeKW form as described here, a familiar-to-some error message results after pressing SUBMIT that
cryptically explains that our load mix estimation is not quite right. So what went wrong? What do you do now to fix this? Read
on…
7. Clicking on the OK box inside the error message returns us to the load mix page. Here we already know that two of these entries are correct (i.e., the Equipment=11.5% and the Refrigeration=0%). So the other three were somehow wrong (i.e., too much
reactive load for the 500,000 kWh we specified). It is typical to underestimate the Resistive load in a facility. So our job becomes
deciding which of the two remaining loads were incorrectly estimated: the Lighting or the A/C?
In our walk-through, we observed that there were more lights than A/C so if we take a little from both and add that to the resistive load, we should be OK. Let’s change the A/C load to 23% (-2%), the Lighting load to 38% (-2%), and the Resistive load
to 27.5% (+4%) and try it again.
Page 16
FREEKW
By: Philip Rastocny
(continued from page 15)
Clicking SUBMIT on this page and changing nothing on the next page yields the following good results.
So what was done wrong? Nothing really. Inexperienced eyes can be deceived by the actual conditions of a building. Learning
how to judge a load mix accurately just comes with time. One day you will be able to intuitively estimate a load mix and even
project savings while walking around that will be quite close to the FreeKW results.
Suggestion Box
suggestionbox@easipro.com
Page 17
CLASSROOM SOLUTION
PER STUDENT PRICING
Courses for Affiliates:
•
•
Attend at any local New Horizons Center*
Must be purchased and scheduled through National Center of contact – Nashville
Any desktop application class – per day………………...…… $ 150.00 US**
* Includes centers in North America and Canada.
** Pricing varies outside North America and Canada. Contact Nashville center for special pricing.
WEB BASED SOLUTION
PER STUDENT PRICING
Microsoft Office Pack includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Access
Excel
Frontpage
Outlook
Powerpoint
Publisher
Word
24x7 access via the Internet
One year, Online Anytime, unlimited access subscription.… $ 150.00 US**
Special foreign language libraries available. Contact Randy Lawyer of the Nashville Center for details..
PURCHASE CONTACT
NEW HORIZONS COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER - NASHVILLE
To take advantage of these special discounts on computer training and to schedule at a New Horizons Computer Learning Center in your area, please contact Randy Lawyer of the Nashville Center:
Randy Lawyer
(615) 850-5919 direct
(615) 251-6925 fax
Page 18
145 Anderson Lane
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Email: easistreet@easipro.com
Staff Contact Information
Name:
Title:
Joseph Merlo
Chief Executive Officer
Paul Bleiweis
President
Elaine Gilbert
Director of Finance
Joelle Frasca
Director of Administration / EPAC
Kathy Harris
Administrative Assistant
Brenda Bleichner Administrative Assistant
Matthew Deck IT Supervisor
Vince Marshall Director of Corporate Projects
Bill Thiessen
Director of Sales and Training Development
Bob Depalo
Director of Engineering
John Medina
Affiliate Support Manager
Tyler Bloomfield Manufacturing Support Specialist
Herb Stewart
Mechanical Assembler
Christian Santana Mechanical Assembler
Alvin Juma
Director of Affiliate Support / Help Desk
The ‘Plug ‘n’ Play’ MicroLiner:
Phone/Extension
E-Mail:
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
(615)
joe@easipro.com
paul@easipro.com
elaine@easipro.com
joelle@easipro.com
kathy@easipro.com
brenda@easipro.com
matt@easipro.com
vince@easipro.com
bill@easipro.com
bob@easipro.com
john@easipro.com
tyler@easipro.com
herb@easipro.com
christian@easipro.com
alvin@easipro.com
822-7250, x 223
822-7251, x 232
822-7250, x 239
822-7251, x 248
822-7250, x 221
822-7250, x 228
822-7251 x 289
822-7251, x 290
822-7251, x 229
822-7251, x 236
822-7251, x 225
822-7250
822-7250
822-7250
822-7251, x 237
By Bob Depalo
You asked for it at the open forum, and now you have it.
The “Plug & Play” Microliner has arrived.
All 1000 series Microliners are now available with a molded CSA listed cord along with
plastic shock preventive cap.
Just mount the Microliner to the machine to be treated and plug it directly into the shared
wall socket along with the machine plug. It’s that EASI!
ORDER PROCEDURES
A brief reminder on equipment
ordering procedures.
Once the order has been processed
by Joelle, it will be sent to our
manufacturing facility. You will
then be contacted via e-mail with
the expected shipping date and
backorder information (if any).
This will be followed by the tracking information once your order
has been shipped. You may contact
our R & D facility at
shipping@easipro.com or
(615) 230-8874 to inquire about the
status of your order.
Publisher:
Editor:
Alvin C. Juma
Paul Bleiweis
Contributors:
Paul Bleiweis
Joseph Merlo
Bill Thiessen
Bob Depalo
Joe Dupee
Barry Goslin
Chuck Lindley
Philip Rastocny
Vince Marshall
Alvin Juma
© 2004 Energy Automation Systems, Inc.