With the cost of energy soaring, the time is right to begin the rewarding process of greening your business operations.
The source of some of the greatest opportunities in greening your business will come in the area of business energy use. Maximizing the efficiency of energy use is the key to operating your business in the most cost effective and environmentally sound manner possible. It is also the area where the greatest cost savings can be found.
The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that an aggressive drive to reduce energy costs can reduce electricity use by 25 to 45 percent. Even Andreas Schlaepfer of the risk management giant, Swiss Re, tells us: “If you’ve never focused on energy efficiency before, achieving a 30 percent reduction is simple.” If you really want to make a difference, Amory Lovins, coauthor of “Natural Capitalism,” director of the Rocky Mountain Institute and longtime champion of energy efficiency, believes that potential cost effective electricity savings of 75 percent are not only possible, but probable.
Identify the Potential for Savings
The key components to starting to green your business are being able to identify areas in your business where dramatic efficiencies are possible, and then discovering the policies and plans that allow you to take advantage of these opportunities. This might sound easier to do than you realize; energy use is an integral part of every aspect of any business’s operation, often imbedded in ways that are difficult to detect. So, the first step is to assess your current energy consumption and evaluate the specific systems that your business operates that drive that usage.
Lighting Lighting is a critical component of every small business and can be a source of immediate energy savings. Many businesses spend half of their electric bills on lighting alone, so it’s a great first step in reducing your energy costs. Plus, investing in efficient lighting pays for itself quickly. Try installing compact fluorescent lamps and light emitting diode (LED) exit signs to deliver dramatic cost savings.
Note: You should always upgrade your lighting before making any changes to your heating or cooling systems because increasing your lighting efficiency will lower your air conditioning requirements.
Heating/Cooling Proper heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems are another area that can be upgraded to maintain a comfortable, healthy and productive work environment. Collectively, these systems account for approximately 40 percent of the electricity used in commercial buildings. You can start with simple steps such as cleaning your system’s equipment and replacing any filters. Reducing the amount of heated or cooled air that escapes from your building through cracks in windows or ducts will reduce your heating and cooling costs. Window films, shades, and awnings will reduce heat gain in the summer. Take advantage of landscaping measures such as adding trees and vines to block direct sunlight. Once you reduce the overall heating and cooling requirements in your business, you can even consider upgrading to newer, smaller and more efficient heating and cooling units.
General Upgrades If you plan on renovating your existing facility, why not focus on energy-efficient upgrades? By installing improved insulation, roofing, doors and windows, you can have a dramatic impact on your energy bills. Many of these upgrades are a major investment that should be evaluated on a cost payback or return on investment basis, rather than merely on the lowest initial cost. Over the life of the building, the operating savings in energy alone will far outweigh the initial cost of most building efficiency improvements.
For any businesses, small or large, the first step to greening your operation is to investigate any and all uses of energy in your business and, second, to look for ways to lower or eliminate the actual use of energy. The greater your energy use and its accompanying carbon footprint, the greater vulnerability your business has to price increases, regulations and other changes that will accompany a market price for carbon. Regardless of what type of business that you operate, you will find that there are enormous potential savings from aggressively looking for and implementing energy efficiency measures.
This article has been excerpted from “Greening Your Business: The Hands On Guide to Creating a Successful and Sustainable Business” by Daniel Sitarz. This 320-page book contains hundreds of energy savings tips and tricks, dozens of computer fillable business assessment forms, energy calculation Excel spreadsheets, and additional publications on its included CD. This book/CD set is available from most brick-and-mortar and online booksellers for $29.95, ISBN 978 1 892949 46 2. For more information, please see www.GreeningYourBusiness.org.