5 low tech ways your business can reduce go green and save money

There is no doubt that going green can save money for your business – as long as you do it properly. Not only does the UK government offer subsidies to businesses with low carbon footprints, but using energy saving devices will obviously lower your businesses energy bill.

Becoming more eco-friendly can also make your business stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace by doing amazing thing for your businesses brand and image.

Making this change doesn’t even have to be costly, here are five low cost and low tech ways your business can go green and reduce energy use.

1. Use biodegradable cleaners

Using natural cleaning products reduces your exposure to toxins and introduces fewer of these harmful substances to the environment. Take the opportunity next time your business runs out of soap or detergent to swap to a more eco-friendly option.

2. Update your appliances/enhance features

Get rid of old appliances and replace them with newer, greener alternatives. Energy-saving light bulbs are widely available in supermarkets, not only do they last 10 times as long as traditional incandescent bulbs, they also only use around a third of the energy.

You may also wish to install smart thermostats. This new technology can learn the behaviour of you and your staff and adjust the air conditioning or turn off lights when it detects that a room is empty.

Additionally, a business can only be energy-efficient to the extent that its windows are energy-efficient. In the summer month’s windows allow too much heat to enter making cooling systems work overtime and in winter they allow too much heap to escape, forcing up heating bills. Even low tech solutions like energy saving window films that redirect solar and radiant energy can save your business money by reduce your energy use all year round.

3. Switch to post-consumer waste paper

Another simple but effective thing for your business to do is to reduce the use paper as much as possible. Though if your business must use print, ensure that it uses eco-friendly paper.

While you may look for the recycled symbol as a sign as a way to do your bit, you should be aware that use of this symbol is unregulated.

The best way to save money (and more of it!) is to use post-consumer waste (PCW) paper. 100% of this paper is made from the waste we put in our recycling bins each day. The manufacturing process for PCW paper reduces energy consumption by 45%, so buying paper labelled as ‘100% PCW’ is a great way to lower your carbon footprint.

4. Use alternative power

Power your office or working environment using alternative energy. In many places in the UK, businesses can sign up to buy green power.

5. Make use of green web hosting

Green web hosting companies take part in a number of initiatives to offset or reduce the environmental cost of running their servers. Many of these companies offer their services and products for less than their fossil-fuel using counterparts.