You can hardly open your laptop now-days without coming across a story urging individuals and businesses to go green. More often than not, emphasis is put on the environmental benefits of reducing consumption and waste accumulation. However, in the business world, money is still the most beloved shade of green. In order to convince businesses to become more environmentally friendly, it is important to show how these practices can improve the bottom line and save significant amounts of money. One of the best ways to save your company money no matter what the size is to work with local energy companies to reduce consumption and cost. Many companies have reported savings of up to 60% making simple changes like replacing regular light bulbs with CFLs and using power strips to restrict energy consumption on objects such as TVs and PCs that consume energy even when they are off.
Here are some quick ways to reduce business energy costs:
- Almost every state has a program directed toward providing free energy audits for local businesses. A simple phone call is all it takes to set up an appointment for a free energy audit. Auditors provide a wealth of information and may be the single biggest key in reducing a company's energy costs.
- If an energy auditor isn't available in your area (which is becoming exceedingly rare) do-it-yourself energy-audit tools may be right for you. Here are a few websites to help you determine your company's energy excesses and potential savings on your own.
www.pge.com/mybusiness/energysavingsrebates/analyzer/
www.smud.org/business/saving-energy/online-energy-audit.html
