Do you want to save money and the planet at the same time?
As a small business owner, you don’t have much overhead. All your decisions must be cost-effective. Sometimes that means overlooking things such as environmental damage.
But, being more green can actually save you more green.
Most people think that it would be a big investment for their small business to become more energy efficient. Believe it or not, there are many cost friendly tips to lower your company’s carbon footprint.
Making your small business more green is the smartest business decision you can make. It greatly benefits your public image. You’ll look thoughtful and with the times.
Many people prefer to work with businesses who care about the environment.
Using less energy means lower costs, less environmental damage, and a greener public image. Green up your company with these energy efficiency tips.
1. Take Control of The Office Temperature
You can’t make your employees suffer through extreme hot or cold. But, you can become more strict with the use of heat and air conditioning.
Just because it’s the winter doesn’t mean the heat should be on. Same with AC during the summer. Constantly running these energy-sucking machines can really drive up your electricity bill.
It can also really drive up your impact on the environment.
Get your staff on board by easing up the company dress codes. Allow people to wear shorts in the summer and comfy sweatshirts in the winter.
Of course, some days you’ll still have to use the heat and AC. But, during those milder days when less or more layers will do the trick, shut them off.
2. Don’t Leave the Lights On
How many times did your father yell at you about this same issue growing up? Well, he wasn’t wrong. The only difference is your dad was just worried about his electrical bill.
You need to be worried about the future of the planet.
This an easy practice that you can instill in all your employees. If a room is not being used, it doesn’t need lights on.
You can also take advantage of the sun. During most of the daytime hours, you might not need any lights on at all in your office. More sunlight also helps generate better office morale!
3. Get Motion Detectors and Dimmers
You’ve talked to your employees about turning off the lights, but it still isn’t happening. They’re busy thinking about meetings and emails, and shutting off the lights might slip their mind.
Instead of constantly nagging them, invest in motion doctors and dimmers for all your lights. These are very affordable and can take hundreds of dollars off your electrical bill.
4. Put Your Electronics To Sleep
Most office electronics like computers and copiers have an automatic sleep setting. You can program them to go into energy saving mode after being idle for a certain amount of time.
When in this mode, the electronic will typically use about 70 percent less energy. Turning things off and on throughout the day isn’t practical, so this is a great alternative.
At the end of the day, you can power everything down. You should be making a sweep through the office every even, unplugging everything you can. Even if they’re off, plugging in electronics might still use some energy.
5. Is Your Refrigerator Running?
One big energy user that can’t be turned off at the end of the night? The break room refrigerator.
That’s why it’s important you invest in a fridge that is energy efficient.
These appliances are a big investment. Often times, offices will elect to buy a cheap, used fridge to cut costs. Though this saves you money in the short term, you’re wasting cash in the long run.
If you have an old fridge, it’s probably wasting a lot of energy. The technology used to create them has improved a lot in the last few years. A new fridge will make for a smaller electricity bill.
6. Power Strips Are a Must
Unplugging your appliances at the end of the night saves a lot of energy. When an electronic is plugged in but not in use, it’s still using electricity. This phenomenon is called phantom energy.
Phantom energy actually uses up to 23 percent of a home’s power use. Imagine how high that percentage is in an office where there are so many electronics.
That’s why unplugging everything at the end of the night is a must.
But, accomplishing that is a tall order. When you’re dying to leave, it’s easy to forget to do a big sweep and unplug every toaster and laptop charger. Then the next day you have to plug everything in again!
Power strips will make this job a lot easier. If you can get as many electronics as you can on a few strips, you can unplug numerous things at once.
7. Invest in Alternative and Renewable Energy Services
Using wind or solar power to power your office is a great investment for your company. It costs you extra upfront for the installation, but it will definitely pay off later.
Alternative and renewable energy services will save you money on your electricity bill. But, it’s also much better for the environment, which makes it the way of the future.
Many businesses that primarily deal in oil energy are adapting to the new demand for solar power. To check out a business that’s adding energy efficient services click here.
Master These Energy Efficiency Tips
These are some easy energy efficiency tips that most any business can implement. Not only will they save you money, but they will also help save the planet. If every person and company does their part, together we can make a big impact.
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