As the world faces its hottest summer on record, energy costs are rising with the heat. Save the planet and your wallet with these 10 hacks for a sustainable business summer!
1. Light it Up
Switch off the overhead lighting in favor of sunlight this summer! Save money and energy by utilizing natural light from windows in your office this summer. Keep the overhead lights off and let the sun do the work. Encourage your remote employees to put the same practices into place when working from home. Take your work outside on sunny days to boost your mood and energy savings!
2. Encourage Reusables
Ditch the styrofoam coffee cups and encourage your employees to bring reusable bottles into the office instead! Buy reusable plates and silverware for employees to use instead of single-use plastic. Create incentives for bringing reusable cups or lunch tupperware through prizes or competitions.
3. Be Flexible
Implement flex Friday or options to work from home to minimize office-related emissions. Allowing work from home (WFH) reduces commute emissions and office energy costs. This hack lets you spend less on electricity while giving your employees a more adaptable schedule.
4. Skip the AC
Turn down the AC and replace with fans. Working in a freezing cold office is a common experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Fans are less energy-intensive than AC and won’t leave your employees bundling up during summer. Save energy costs, let your employees adjust the fans to their comfort level, and everyone wins!
5. Print Mindfully
If your business is paper-heavy, try switching to 100 percent post-consumer recycled content paper and default to double sided printing. Utilize only one printer if possible to decrease energy usage. These simple changes will decrease your environmental impacts. If your business doesn’t rely on paper, switch to paperless for billing and only print when necessary.
6. Create a Swap Zone
Set up a designated time and space to allow employees to swap things they don’t need, like those 10 extra branded water bottles from a client or that desk plant that keeps making you sneeze. Not only does this encourage sustainability, it’s great for company culture.
7. Volunteer
If summer is a slow season for your organization, take some time to volunteer with your company. Get out into the fresh air and volunteer to plant trees, work in the local garden, or help a nonprofit. Not only is it good for the planet, but it’s a great team bonding opportunity.
8. Ditch the Freezer
An ice cold drink are a must during summer, but freezer ice makers use much more energy than ice trays do. Leaving an ice maker on at all times will increase your fridge’s power use by 20-30%, adding an extra cost of $10 per year. While it may not sound like much, this adds up over the lifetime of the fridge. Ditch the freezer in favor of ice trays to save energy and money this summer while keeping those drinks cold.
9. Switch to Save
Switch to water efficient toilets to save money and energy. Water consumption is a big factor in energy costs and environmental impacts and just this one swap will save nearly 13,000 gallons of water and $140 of water costs per year!
Swapping out your light bulbs for LEDs can also make a big impact. LED lightbulbs use 60% – 90% less energy than incandescent lighting and can save you $225 per year in energy costs. These bulbs also last up to 34 years compared to 4 years for incandescent bulbs, saving money and reducing waste!
10. Conduct an Energy Audit
Start collecting data on your energy use and bills. Then conduct an energy data audit with a trusted and accredited partner, like Green Impact. Our experts will help you improve your environmental impacts and reduce energy costs with Salesforce Net Zero Cloud, a best-in-class ESG data platform. Visit our ESG page to begin your journey!