With electricity rates on the rise, small businesses are increasingly looking for ways to lower their energy costs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Small businesses are finding ways to reduce energy consumption to keep operating costs sustainable.
From switching office light bulbs to CFLs to shortening delivery routes, practical solutions are lessening the impact of systemic problems. A major expense, business travel, is being curtailed in favor of web and tele conferences.
WSJ stresses the importance of conservation of energy for small businesses in relation to similar needs for large businesses. “Of course, lots of large companies are also using these measures. But they have some advantages small firms don’t. It’s easier for them to shift some of their higher energy costs to customers, for instance. And they can use their size to get leverage on energy costs. A recent study by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy found that small businesses in the commercial sector, for instance, paid 30% more for electricity and 20% more for natural gas than the bigger guys.”
In addition to major operational or facilities changes, many businesses are taking practical small steps to achieve similar goals. “Last December, it [Sherwood Design Engineers Ltd. of San Francisco] put up signs around the office reminding them to turn off the printer each night — noting it saves the equivalent of making 1,500 photocopies — and to turn off their computers at the power strip rather than just using the power button.”
Other businesses are consolidating ordering to limit fuel surcharges on deliveries. One small business owner has taken a seemingly obvious step, before he goes out and buys supplies he takes a moment to walk around the office to see if anyone else needs anything. This ends up limiting the number of vehicle miles driven each day.
According to the Energy Star Small Business program, energy efficiency improvements of 10 to 30 percent are economically viable for many small businesses through the implementation of “best practices” for facility operation and maintenance, and the use of cost-effective technologies, the National Small Business Association reports.
At Harvest, we have made the switch to CFLs across the home office. We monitor the thermostat closely, and we have placed power strips on all home electronics to eliminate the trickle loss of power. Of course we also eliminated one of our vehicles which made an immediate impact on our expenses. A result has also been that our trips are much more carefully planned which yields lower fuel expenses.
