Oklahoma Tower cuts power costs with new technology

Starns is a property manager for Grubb & Ellis-Levy Beffort, which manages a number of buildings in Oklahoma City.

He said operational costs vary, but electricity is always the biggest one. It accounts for 23 percent of overall operating costs.

“We're always looking for ways we can help drive that figure down,” Starns said.

Still, Starns was wary when he first heard the sales pitch from Peripheral Energy last year to cut costs at Oklahoma Tower.

Company President Steve McKinney guaranteed Peripheral Energy's equipment could save at least 6 percent on Oklahoma Tower's electricity bills, but Starns wanted proof.

He asked McKinney to install some of his company's KVAR Energy Controllers, promising to buy more if they achieved the desired results.

McKinney was willing to proceed under those terms, a decision that has paid off for both parties.

“We proved that it was a savings on the seven motors that we installed it on,” Starns said.

He said the Peripheral Energy units helped reduce electricity costs by $2,300 a month at Oklahoma Tower last summer, even though record high temperatures caused the building to use even more power.