Many business owners and facility managers equate going green with spending more money. Implementing certain green technologies that reduce water use, improve energy efficiency and increase sustainability requires an initial investment, but many facility managers and business owners have found that going green actually saves money over time. Green opportunities provide business owners and facility managers with the ability to efficiently use resources and reduce overall environmental impact while reducing costs and saving money.
The benefits of going green don't stop at cost savings. Green behavior can also improve a company's reputation, which plays a huge role in the success of any business. Using the following proven tips helps business owners and facility managers go green, save money and improve their company's reputation and brand.
Daylight Cleaning
Green cleaning is an excellent way to reduce the environmental impact often associated with cleaning chemicals. Commercial green cleaning often includes using certified green cleaning agents, cold water for cleaning, and redesigned cleaning requirements. But daylight cleaning has proven to be one of the best green cleaning tools to improve energy efficiency.
Much like the name suggests, daytime cleaning involves hiring a cleaning service to execute their tasks during the daytime, instead of cleaning during the night. This reduces energy consumption by eliminating the need to keep heating/cooling systems and lights on when the building is otherwise unoccupied. Not only does this reduce overall power consumption and give your company the green thumb stamp of approval, but it offers significant economic savings as well.
Cut Back on Water Use
Another way to improve environmental performance and focus on sustainability involves cutting back on water usage. Inexpensive devices make it easy to reduce consumption, and reducing water consumption offers significant savings on water bills after the initial investment.
Simple devices that reduce water use include faucet aerators, water displacement devices for toilets and gray-water recycling systems. Faucet aerators save water by reducing the flow rate of taps by up to 60 percent. Water displacement devices for toilets reduce the water used for toilet flushing by more than half. Gray-water recycling systems take waste water and use it for other actions, such as toilet flushing, although they are most cost effective when installed in renovation or new build scenarios.
Recycling to Save
Setting up recycling bins for a business or office building requires a relatively low investment. Recycling not only reduces environmental impact, but it can offer cost savings as well. By recycling, businesses reduce the cost of waste management, saving money.
Use Energy Star Products
Implementing Energy Star products helps improve overall energy efficiency, and these products use less energy while carrying out their designated tasks. Energy Star products include office equipment, lighting products, commercial appliances, heating and cooling equipment and more. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that turning to Energy Star light bulbs offers significant power savings and these bulbs last longer, too.
Biannual HVAC Inspections
Installing energy efficient HVAC systems helps to reduce power consumption, but HVAC systems should still be inspected biannually to ensure they are performing properly. Systems that need repairs or general service consume more power, which can increase electricity bills and needlessly waste power. Simply arranging for regular HVAC inspections keeps systems in good condition, reducing the power they consume.
Since going green saves businesses money while saving the environment, it’s easy to see why so many facility managers and business owners have chosen this route. Even starting with small changes makes a difference, reducing environmental impact, improving company reputation and offering big savings.
