Abacus Self Storage Is Now Almost Totally Carbon Neutral for Electricity Consumption

Climate change is a real and immediate issue. Of course, not everyone agrees with this statement. And of course there is much debate about what we should do to mitigate greenhouse gas impacts, and what the costs and impact on our economy might be.

Regardless of how a person feels about this important subject and the risks to our planet, the consequences of being wrong would be catastrophic. Accordingly, even a very small probability of being wrong on this matter dictates that we take corrective action. Given these realities, it does seem to be prudent to at take reasonable precaution to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions however we can. And that includes both individual and collective actions by all of us, large and small.

We at Abacus want to do our part, and in addition to other actions, we have recently completed a large action. We have installed a solar panel system aimed at reducing our electrical consumption to nearly zero, or by about 95%. The cost of this installation is not insubstantial, and the payback from reduced hydro consumption costs will take about 10 to 12 years into the future.

Prior to this installation, Abacus Self Storage made other substantial cost investments aimed at reducing hydro consumption and consequent greenhouse gas emissions. Most notable of these was the installation of an LED lighting system throughout the Abacus facility (again at substantial capital cost) several years ago which substantially reduced our kilowatt hour consumption at that time.

From another perspective, Abacus recently installed a new steel roof over the higher roof buildings at the rear of the property, and simultaneously took the opportunity to install new roof insulation to reduce heat loss and thereby reduce heating needs and natural gas consumption (the insulation will also keep the building cooler in summer months). All of this is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

For many years, it has been Abacus practice to keep interior storage area/unit temperatures at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius (about 48 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). The goal is to make the building at least reasonably comfortable and safe in the winter months, while at the same time minimizing natural gas consumption and thereby reducing related greenhouse gas emissions.

The Abacus emergency electricity generator is powered by natural gas, again aimed at minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. The generator has on more than one occasion prevented major loss and damage to customers’ contents during prolonged electrical power supply outages from the local hydro authority.

In future, the people at Abacus will continue their efforts to find ways and if necessary make expenditures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – energy conservation is an Abacus core operating practice and value.