More and more, it is becoming important for businesses to pay attention to their carbon footprint. Rising temperatures due to global warming mean that HVAC systems are run longer during the year and at cooler temperatures. Green energy practices are compelling to many people, so potential customers want to know that you're doing your part to manage your energy use.
As a business owner, how can you become more informed about your energy usage and then use that data to make sustainable changes? Here are five green energy practices that you can adopt.
Practice Energy Saving Strategies
Whether you're the CEO of a large, multi-site business or you've just started a new small business on Main Street, you care about energy usage. Besides your bottom line, there are social and environmental reasons to keep your energy consumption low. Start simply by turning out the lights at the end of the workday. Rely on natural light when possible, and be sure to choose energy-efficient bulbs for lamps and ceiling lights. For a larger company, compare the energy use at similar sites.
If one site uses much less energy, find out if there are ways to replicate those changes across the company, which may require servicing machinery or upgrading a process. Smaller businesses can make sure that their HVAC unit is updated and kept at a reasonable temperature and that water usage is responsible.
Compare Electricity Plans
Don't assume that your current energy plan is the only option. Compare electricity plans to see if the one you have is optimized for energy saving at your business's current operating level.
Make Energy Saving Policies
Sustainable change usually has to come from the top. When a couple of employees start to try and make energy changes in the office, it usually doesn't stick because there isn't solid policy or backing to keep people accountable once the novelty wears off. When company leaders are committed to change, real progress can be more easily achieved. Leaders signal the importance of sustainable energy practices by writing their commitment to change into mission and policy documents.
An enthusiastic employee can become a thought leader who implements the necessary changes company-wide. When policies and procedures are in place to make energy usage changes, it is more likely that those changes will stick and significantly impact company practice and budget.
Keep Track of Progress
The idea of change is great, but how can you know that your efforts are making a difference? Data tracking is essential. Collect data on your company's energy use at each location. Break it down into reasonable segments, such as by department or by the process.
Then, check-in at regular intervals throughout the year. Identify areas where the changes you've implemented are working and where not much change has been observed. By tracking your progress at energy saving, you're more likely to maintain what works and continue to tweak the processes that don't.
Motivate Stakeholders To Choose You
Setting internal business benefits aside, energy-saving efforts can impact your external practices as well. The most obvious way is that many potential customers care more and more about the energy practices of the companies they choose to work with.
By demonstrating your commitment to sustainable energy practices in your business—which can be shared once you track your energy data—customers who value green energy and practices committed to reducing the carbon footprint will be more likely to choose you over the competition.
Prioritising green energy practices for your business will not only be beneficial for the environment and your bottom line but will also set you apart from the competition leading to more clients who receive better services.
