The green arrow is upon us, and that means recycling and converting everything to be more energy efficient.
But even if you haven’t jumped on the recycling bandwagon yet, working to make your office as energy efficient as possible will do great things for your electric bill.
Keep reading to learn how you can start implementing energy conservation techniques and start saving money now.
Switch to Energy-Efficient Bulbs
It wasn’t long ago that everyone used CFL lightbulbs as their go-to source for indoor lighting. These bulbs are relatively cheap but don’t always last for a long time, nor do they do anything good for your utility bill.
These days, LED light bulbs are readily available and steadily decreasing in price.
LED light bulbs will bring in a fast ROI, as they use anywhere from 25 to 80% less energy than traditional bulbs. But if that wasn’t enough to sell you on energy-efficient light bulbs, these babies can last up to 25 times longer traditional incandescents.
Go Paperless
With the green movement, companies everywhere are switching to paperless, but switching over can do more than help the environment.
Did you know that office equipment consumes about 7% of commercial electricity, adding up to about $1.8 billion in costs to businesses?
You can switch your records to paperless, as well as pay stubs and advertisements. These days, social media is one of the best platforms for advertisement anyway.
If you haven’t already started throwing away your printers, consider selling old office equipment after you’ve upgraded.
Update Old Equipment
If you have any equipment that’s outdated or borderline prehistoric, you might want to spend some extra cash on upgrading.
Over the years, we’ve learned how to create energy-efficient computers, printers, phones, coffee makers, refrigerators, and pretty much everything else electronic in your office.
Your employees will think that they are getting a brand new break room, but in reality you’re planning on saving a bundle. Who doesn’t like a twofer?
Solar Panels
If you own your office building you might want to consider installing some solar panels on the roof and around the landscape.
Simply put, solar panels capture electricity from the sun, which then gets sold to the electric company, giving you a big break on your utility bill.
There are also several tax incentives for commercial solar panels. The ITC, or investment tax credit, allows you to deduct 30% of the installation cost for your solar panel set up, and there is no cap on its value.
Blackout Curtains or Window Tinting
If you’re in an area with a relatively warm or chilly climate, it would be beneficial for you to invest in some blackout curtains or commercial window tinting.
What is window tint? In a nutshell, window tint is a nearly clear, plastic film that is installed on the windows. The tint works to reduce heat, glare, and UV Rays from the sun.
Ideally, commercial window tinting is the way to go, but if you’re a small office and on a budget, you can get away with some blackout curtains for a while.
Some benefits commercial window tinting include:
- Reduced glare on office computers
- Lowered utility costs
- High ROI, as the installation is affordable
- Increase in property value
These benefits are only the beginning of the cocktail you’ll get from window tinting.
Shut down Appliances at Night
You might think that is unnecessary to recommend you shut off appliances overnight, but you’d be surprised by how often appliances get left on. Employees countdown until it’s time to leave and often rush out of the office, sometimes forgetting to completely shut everything down.
On top of that, do you make sure the coffee maker is turned off every night? What about the printers?
Sometimes the smallest details can make the biggest difference, especially when it comes to energy conservation.
Offer Incentives to Employees
If you have employees working with you in the office, it’s a good idea to offer some sort of incentive if they follow these energy conservation tips. Consider taking a small portion of the money you’ve saved, or will save, to implement these incentives.
You can offer incentives like Starbucks gift cards or cash prices. But, if you’re not looking to spend any extra cash, you can use incentives like extra sick days or let them leave early a few nights out of the week.
As an example, whichever employee shows the most improvement in energy conservation, you can let them leave the office two hours early every Monday for the month. From a business perspective, these lost hours are lost over a significant period of time and likely won’t impact your productivity by much. From an employee perspective, it will feel as though they’ve won a big prize. Mondays are tough for everyone, so a few hours of free time can make a big difference.
These Energy Conservation Techniques Will Leave Plenty of Cash for Holiday Bonuses (Or Anything Your Budgeting For)
No matter what you’re saving for, if you use these energy conservation techniques as religiously as possible, and teach your employees and colleagues what you’ve learned, you’re sure to meet and possibly exceed your goals.
You can even implement these energy conservation tips in your own home, so you can lower your electric bill and finally take that family vacation.
Browse through the rest of our site for more ways to enhance your business and increase productivity.
