Tag Archives: energy savings

How Solar is Powering Extra Space Storage

  Sometimes good enough just isn’t good enough anymore. When I reflect on my job before we started adding solar power to facilities at Extra Space Storage, it was good. Now that I’m part of a nationwide solar power initiative, I feel that the sustainability work by Extra Space Storage is more than good. It’s amazing. But let’s back up just a bit from the amazing phase.   Before we started adding solar power to storage facilities in 2010, our investors often asked me what we were doing to take care of the environment. (They still ask me this today, but now I have a better answer!) Our … [More]

Daylight Harvesting – Better for the Environment, Better for You!

  Recently the New York Times reported a compelling fact: “Enough sunlight falls every hour to meet the entire world’s energy needs for one year.” That is a lot of essentially free energy  that’s being wasted! This presents an opportunity to find ways to use the sun and its energy to decrease our impact on the earth’s natural resources. One way of doing this is using the sun to naturally light our homes and work spaces. Research and studies have proven there are many benefits of daylight. These benefits include: Energy conservation Increased productivity Lifting of spirits Spaces appear larger Improved concentration Quickened learning speed At Extra Space … [More]

Brightening up Storage with Solar Muscle

  You might have heard that Extra Space Storage is going green. So, I’m trying not to hit you over the head with a big green bat, but I’m excited to tell you more about our progress with solar power. As the second-largest self-storage company in the U.S. with facilities in 34 states, we take our commitment to sustainable energy seriously, as you’ve probably figured out.   See the Power in our Infographic Last year, we created a solar power infographic to help shareholders, customers and all interested eyes visualize our journey down the bright solar path. You can take a look at it here. Since we created … [More]

How You’ll Benefit from a Home Energy Audit

Most of us just grin and bear it when it comes to various checkups – dental exams, cholesterol screenings, even car tune-ups. But when do we take time out to check up on what could be our biggest material investment? Yes, I’m speaking of home sweet home. I’m just as much of a procrastinator as the next person. My wife can tell you that she has to remind me to straighten up leftover messes from garage projects, or to hose the birdie mess off our mailbox! However, when it comes to getting a home energy audit, none of us should be procrastinating. By the way, some people refer … [More]

Saving Energy One Retrofit at a Time

Did you know in December of 2011, our country used over 54 million tons of coal to generate electricity? That’s more than 108 BILLION pounds of coal. That’s right, I said BILLION!!!! That’s insane!!!!! And this is only one source of many that generates electricity for our country. At Extra Space Storage we understand the importance of energy conservation. This is why we take a focused approach to decrease our energy consumption and to shrink the size of our carbon footprint. One of the many ways we try to reduce our energy consumption is through lighting retrofits at our properties. T8 Light BulbsOur first area of focus with … [More]

Landscaping for Energy Savings

I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand to be hot! I’d much rather be chilly and throw a jacket on. However, it’s easy to pay a hefty price for staying cool when the summer heat arrives. With Earth Day coming up on April 22, it’s the perfect time to think about how to reduce your home cooling costs. Landscaping may be the answer you haven’t considered. If you use plants and trees to keep your home cooler, you may not consume as much energy. So, now is the time to be a tree hugger for real. Plus, trees give birds a nice place to kick back! … [More]