Save Money by Going Green
Energy consumption and carbon emissions have been in the news for several years now and there is an increasing amount of political and public pressure being brought to bear on businesses to reduce their carbon consumption.
 However, apart from the presssure to be seen to be green there is another reason for businesses to reduce their energy consumption - and this is to save money. It is estimated that the avergage business can make savings of between 10 and 30% on its energy bills, so even a small business should look at this seriously.
What are the benefits of going green in the workplace?
The business benefits include an improved reputation with "stakeholders" such as shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees and even the local community (and larger businesses nowdays have to include an environmental statement in their annual report to shareholders).
By using effective environmental practices businesses can cut their costs by reducing their energy bills and even their waste disposal bills and you may even be able to negotiate a lower business insurance premium due to the lessened risk of fire and accidents.
How do I start to go green in my business?
There are many ways to go green in your business, some of which are beyond this brief introduction and may depend on the type of business you are in. However, all businesses can make a start by following the steps below: -
- Switch off lights and equipment when not in use
- Replace lights with low energy equivalents where possible
- Don't leave mobile phone chargers and laptop chargers plugged in when they are not being used to charge the equipment
- Only print when you need to, an average 70% of office waste is paper
- Reuse paper where possible, if you want to make notes duing a phone call why not use the back of a sheet that you are about to throw away?
- Use a water displacement device in toilet cisterns, you may be able to reduce your water usage by 20%
- Sign up to a green energy supplier for your electricity and gas
- Turn the heating in the office down by 1 degree - you will not notice it but will save money
- Buy energy efficient equipment when replacing items such as computers, printers,
fridges and other electrical items
- Buy office stationery made from recycled materials - things like suspension
files can be almost 100% recycled material and make no difference to the quality
of the file.
By following the above advice you will be reducing waste and making the best of both renewable and non-renewable resources - and best of all you will be saving money.
|
