Green Energy for Your Business

Charting a Green ENERGY Path for Your Business

Making smart energy choices now is more critical than ever, both from a budget perspective and an environmental one. As awareness of green solutions spreads, more consumers are looking for environmentally sound practices for personal use, and expect the same level of awareness in the businesses they support.

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Increasingly, businesses are recognizing that using green energy is not only an effective long-term strategy that’s good for the environment, but it also resonates well with consumers who are increasingly looking for companies with environmentally-sound business practices. Here are top tips on smart energy consumption for your business:

Participate in demand response programs available through your energy provider.
Use localized power. Construction of on-site renewable generation for businesses can be a viable and potentially profitable means of limiting dependence on fossil fuels and ensuring reliability of power supplies.
Maintain HVAC systems. Proper maintenance of heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment can maximize efficiency for the long term.
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). One CFL saves about 330kWh over its lifetime—a reduction of about 400 pounds of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. CFLs also generate 70% less heat than standard bulbs, reducing the need for air conditioning. (Source: Previously published in New England Hotel Magazine, March/April 2008)
Use Energy Star equipment. Energy Star offers several office equipment solutions that may be eligible for tax breaks in addition to saving on electricity costs. An Energy Star labeled computer, for example, uses 70% less electricity than a standard model, and in sleep mode, the same computer will use only 4 watts or less. (Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewal Energy website: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/home_office.html)

Adding Green Power to Your Energy Portfolio

Investing in Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) is a common way for businesses to add green power. An REC represents the technological and environmental attributes of one megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity generated from a renewable energy source, and delivered to the power grid.

There are many business reasons for purchasing RECs. Here are four popular ones:

Every REC your company purchases can be used to offset carbon emissions and simultaneously supports investment in renewable energy.
When your business purchases a REC, it’s actually purchasing renewable electricity and requesting it be delivered to the electricity grid.
You can choose RECs that support a specific type of green energy source, such as wind or hydroelectric power.
RECs are sold independently from electricity, essentially making them easy to buy. What’s more, RECs can be purchased from any location where renewable energy is produced.

RECs open up an opportunity for businesses to show a commitment to sustainability, while reducing their carbon footprint in a transparent, understandable way.