Sustainability does not just make sense for us as individuals – it makes good business sense. There are many available and emerging methods to help your business “go green”, but the way you choose to power up can be a true game-changer. This is especially true for businesses that use a lot of electricity.
Renewable energy is as green as it gets. It’s provided by energy sources such as geothermal, biomass, solar, and wind – which means that it’s replenished both naturally and perpetually. Because being “sustainable” involves using methods that do not wholly use up or destroy natural resources, you can’t do much better than electing to use resources that never run out.
And it’s not only our planet that stands to gain – there’s no question that businesses can easily economize on their efforts to become more sustainable. With renewable energy, you can dramatically cut down on operating costs and even lock in energy costs for years to come.
Once you have recognized that renewable energy is the best of both worlds, you’ll need to choose a method that makes sense for you. You can certainly introduce solar panels, biomass boilers, or small wind turbines into a business environment, but there are some conditions. Solar panels necessitate access to a roof, biomass requires the company to be set up for wood chip deliveries, and wind turbines call for planning permission. In almost all cases, it will be necessary that you either own your building or have a long-term lease and an open-minded lessor.
For obvious reasons, sometimes investing in the installation of renewable energy equipment is not a viable option. Thankfully, this does not mean that you’re simply out of luck. You can also purchase green energy from your chosen provider, though this actually can come at a slightly higher cost.
If your supplier does not provide green energy choices, you have the additional option of buying renewable energy certificates. These certificates are sold separately from your utility company and allow businesses to bolster the development of renewable energy even when green energy options are not otherwise available.
Take Notice
Renewable energy should not just be a good green power solution for everyone, but a genuine and sincere goal – and we’re fortunate that we’re given so many opportunities to simultaneously diminish our carbon footprint and look out for our business’s bottom line.
