Saving the planet will help save your pocket

Jan 26 2009 by Carole White, The Journal

FOR many years now, the importance of looking after the environment has been high on most of our agendas.

With declining natural resources and increased energy and fuel costs, business people and residents around the world are taking more notice of environmental issues.

For many of us, reducing our impact on the environment to benefit future generations is extremely important. For others, who have placed less significance on the subject, there are now clear cost- saving benefits to be had.

Below are some simple, straight- forward measures, which if implemented by even a small number of us, would have a very positive impact on the environment.

Reduce paper waste – don’t print emails unnecessarily, reuse documents as notepaper, print double-sided documents and send e-faxes rather than paper faxes

Reduce office temperatures – keeping your thermostat at a comfortable 19ºC can save on energy bills. According to the Carbon Trust, heating costs will increase by 8% each time you turn the temperature up by one degree.

Don’t leave electrical equipment on stand-by – turn off computers, projectors, televisions, coffee machines when not in use. The Carbon Trust says it costs £50 a year to leave a computer and monitor on 24 hours a day.

Turn off lights – switch off lights in empty rooms and on bright days and consider fitting automatic switches which turn off the lights when no one is in the room.

Replace high-voltage light bulbs – introduce more energy-efficient light fittings to your business.

Review your purchasing – look out for energy-efficient rated appliances, purchasing recycled products and recharge batteries.

Reduce water waste – introduce ‘toilet bricks’ into your cistern to reduce the amount of water wasted.

These are only a few measures that can be introduced relatively easily. For more guidance and advice on becoming carbon neutral and information on interest-free loans to improve your energy saving, visit www.carbontrust.co.uk

In such testing times, cost-saving measures are not an option, they are essential. When saving business costs can also result in saving the planet, it’s a win-win situation. Don’t hesitate, start the savings now!

If you require any further support or advice please call Tedco on (0191) 428-3535, e-mail starting@tedco.org  or visit us at www.tedco.org

Carole White is business support manager at Tedco