As a business owner, finding ways to save money and cut costs is likely at the top of your priority list. Yet every year, millions of businesses are losing large sums of revenue to costly utility prices and wasted energy through inefficient resource management.
The problem with energy costs is that you don’t notice the leak until the bill comes due. If you noticed a kitchen employee using only half of a costly ingredient and throwing the rest out, wouldn’t you step in to stop the wasteful behavior? The same should be true with your energy efficiency. If you aren’t taking a look at your business’s current energy usage and taking the steps to increase your efficiency, you are likely wasting valuable dollars that could be invested elsewhere.
Putting in the effort to make your business energy-efficient has benefits beyond simply saving you money. Let’s take a look at four rewards you can experience quickly by reducing your energy costs:
- Decrease Your Yearly Energy Costs
First and foremost, taking steps to increase your business energy efficiency will save you money in decreased energy costs. So, what is stopping most businesses from making moves toward a more efficient plan, such as green or renewable energy? Most often the reason is found in the false belief that it’s too expensive to make your business energy-efficient.
While many high-efficiency energy plans such as a move toward renewable sourcing can have higher costs upfront, studies continue to show that the initial investment made into renewable energy can drastically lower your costs overall – and quickly. In fact, by going high-efficient with your business operations, you can see costs related to operations and energy usage go down to a rate that you may have thought impossible.
- Increase Your Property Value
While you may have assumed that “lowering my costs” was going to make the list, did you know that going energy-efficient can actually raise your property value? It’s true! Leading energy experts at Energy Star have reported statistics showing that buildings that have been retrofitted to run more efficiently have experienced an increase in asset value over the past several years.
What this means for your business is an automatic increase in the value of your building, should your company decide to sell the property or relocate to a different location. While you may not see the value come into your company in a physical form, taking steps to increase your energy-efficiency will raise your asset value quickly! It may give you a better peace of mind knowing that your efficient building is sitting a high premium over similar spaces.
- Maximize Brand Reputation
Another lesser-known benefit to going energy-efficient with your business can be found in your increased brand reputation for being a “green company.” As climate-related issues continue to remain in the front of the public eye, consumers are increasingly wishing to do business with a company that takes steps to care for the environment.
Not only are consumers watching for businesses that are moving toward an earth-friendly stance, but publications are taking note as well. Newsweek recently began publishing a list of “eco-friendly” businesses who have taken steps to increase their efficiency with a focus on renewable energy sources. It is definitely to your advantage to rise above the competition by promoting your steps to increase your energy efficiency!
- Increase Employee Morale & Health
Have you considered the role that energy efficiency plays in your employee and customer’s morale? Whether adding new utility options or moving toward a natural-light based energy source, you can begin to increase both the health and morale of your team members and the customers who visit your business.
More studies have shown the benefits of adding energy-efficient options such as natural light sources leads to employees reporting an increase in attitudes and positive lifestyles. This increase in morale will naturally lead to an increase in work, attitude, and output. Who would have thought a simple change in energy-efficiency could make such a difference?
How to Begin Moving Toward Energy Efficiency
The common argument against moving to energy-efficiency is a lack of resources to get started. However, that argument falls flat when compared to the benefits that you can quickly begin to take advantage of with energy-efficient utility options. One way to get started discovering the perfect option for your business is by getting in touch with an energy expert such as EnergyBot. Energy companies with experience in helping companies make the switch to cost-efficient strategies are a great resource to aid you in your exploration of new energy usage. An expert in this field can help you put together a business plan to encourage the implementation of energy-efficient options based on cost and benefit. The first step is always the most difficult, so get in touch with an energy service provider today to find out how you can begin benefiting from energy efficiency.
