How can I lower my Fitness Center power bill?

My situation:



- 3200 sq ft fitness center open 24/7

- Cost of running everything but lights and AC is minimal

- ~30 foot ceilings(!) making for huge ft^3

- In NC so it get HOT during summer

- Lights that stay on 24/7 are all fluorescent (I think)

- I put the AC on 72 during day and 75 at night. Any hotter and I think customers would complain.

- The duct work for the AC is exposed (huge pipes from 2 units) and blows down from vents about 15' in the air.



My power bills over the last 3 months have been $720,$750,$850 -- there has to be a way to reduce it!



So far, we've added shades to the windows and had the AC tested to make sure it was running ok



Other things I've considered

1) lowering all the duct work by about 5 feet so the cool air (hot air in winter) gets to patrons quicker and goes through less hot air

2) Putting lights on dimmer (although I think the culprit is AC)

3) Adding ceiling fans to pull hot air/push cold air (depending on where they are placed)



Please help!!How can I lower my Fitness Center power bill?I'm not positive how to do this, but I read once that you can install mirrors around the lights, that way it reflects as if you had two bulbs instead of just one. I read it in an environmental book - hope that helps ...How can I lower my Fitness Center power bill?I'd go with the ceiling fans. Can you electric company come in and assist you? Ours does a service like that.How can I lower my Fitness Center power bill?You could look to find out if the lighting is electronic ballasts or if the are the magnetic type. If they are the magnetic type with the T12 bulb, you may look into retrofitting them to the electronic type with the T8 bulbs. You can tell by opening up a fixture and reading the ballast label. Some states or cities will help with the cost of retrofitting because of energy savingsHow can I lower my Fitness Center power bill?
The ceiling fans will really help the bill.Circulating the air will help cool down faster.Dimmer lites also good idea.The A/C is your culprit...