High energy bills are the bane of small businesses and homeowners alike.

That’s why the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation made energy efficiency the theme of its May luncheon in Palmerton.

“We’re always looking for ways that we can help our businesses,” Alice Wanamaker, CCEDC’s assistant vice president, said. “Business is good. When business is good, we’re not thinking about how to save money. But when business isn’t good, we’re thinking about how to save money.

“There’s other ways that they can reinvest into their companies if they’re saving money on things like energy,” she said.

The Palmerton Area Chamber of Commerce, affiliated with the county chamber, puts on 10 lunches in the borough annually. They vary in theme and location, Wanamaker said. The most recent luncheon, held May 14, was hosted by PPL Corporation, an Allentown-based energy company.

Joe Walter, with PPL, kicked off the afternoon by explaining the company’s third and final phase of its Business Energy Efficiency Program, which began in July 2016 and ends May 2021.

The program boils down to small businesses receiving rebates through PPL for undertaking energy-saving projects, like installing LED lighting. It was established in 2009. Over the last 10 years, it has saved over 2 billion kilowatt-hours of energy use, according to Walter’s presentation.

Walter outlined three different ways businesses can take advantage of PPL’s program: through distributor instant discounts, direct discounts or standard program rebates. The first option, he said, is simply a point-of-purchase discount offered by a commercial electric distributor on an energy-saving product. Rebates through this offering are capped at $1,800.

The second opportunity, which offers a rebate rate of 15 cents per kilowatt hour saved annually, is specifically for small businesses, categorized by PPL under GS1 or GS3.

Through this option, local businesses can contact a participating contractor listed on the PPL website, who will complete the rebate application on their behalf.

The standard program rebate is open to any PPL customer. It requires an application, but businesses can use any contractor they want for their projects. Walter recommended businesses try to secure authorization for their projects before starting them, although preapproval is only needed for certain jobs.

“Preapproval is required to secure funding,” he said. “It’s not always required to be done in advance, but it does confirm that the products you’re looking to use are eligible for a rebate.”

Walter added that the only projects that should be completed before being approved are ones taken on by governmental, nonprofit and educational entities. That’s because as of January 2018, such plans have been put on a waitlist for receiving rebates.

“A number of projects were submitted early in the phase that were very large and depleted a lot of the funding that was available,” Walter said, adding that PPL has secured additional funding and is currently determining how many wait-listed projects will soon be eligible for rebates.

There’s an online application for PPL’s Business Energy Efficiency Program, which can be accessed at www.pplelectricbusinesssavings.com.

Following Walter’s presentation, Carol Obando-Derstine, PPL’s affairs director for the Southeast region, took to the center of the room, offering some energy-saving tips people can employ at home to save money on their electric bill.

Obando-Derstine started by debunking “the great thermostat myth” — the belief that the thermostat should be kept at a constant temperature throughout the day (she said it should actually be set lower when no one is home).

If you have a ceiling fan, Obando-Derstine pointed out, it should run clockwise in the winter, and counterclockwise in the summer. She also suggested unplugging energy “vampires,” like phone chargers and toaster ovens, when not in use.

“You’re paying for things that you’re not using, and over the long run, you’re throwing money away,” Obando-Derstine said. “Everything is about tips, tips, tips to get the information into the hands of the public, so they can save money and invest it in their own families.”