With all of the talk these past couple of weeks being about the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, it’s no surprise that business owners have become interested in sites like https://www.cooleffect.org/content/how-companies-can-reduce-carbon-footprint to see how they can reduce their own carbon footprints going forward. Ultimately, it’s businesses that will have to deliver many of the emissions cuts and technological solutions that were put forward to stop climate change. Here’s just a few of the ways you can make a difference.
Reduce Your Paper Usage
Despite the fact we live in the digital future where all of our documents can be uploaded to the cloud for use with multiple devices, research shows that the average office still prints off fifty pages of paper per day. While 70% of office waste is recyclable, only 7.5% of this ever actually makes it to a recycling plant. This means that 80.6m tonnes of paper enters the UK’s waste stream each year, making up almost a quarter of the total UK waste figures. In fact, at 17.7%, Britain has one of the lowest recycling rates in Europe for the 335m tonnes of solid waste it produces per annum.
Using Power-Saving Features on Electrical Equipment
If you take a look around your offices today, you’ll likely see dozens of computers lined up along with multiple pieces of additional equipment. While modern companies rely on this technology to function, we can still make big improvements in how we handle power-saving features. When at work, set your PC to enter sleep mode after an hour of inactivity. This way, you won’t lose any of your progress but the electricity usage will be reduce. Perhaps the biggest thing we can do, though, is getting into the habit of turning off all of this equipment when office hours are over. Not only will this make a larger impact on the environment, it will also save your business money on its utility bills.
Upgrade Business Premise to Increase Efficiency
To enhance energy efficiency in their establishments, businesses can make certain improvements. They can opt for efficient lighting options like LED lights and implement insulation measures to minimize the energy required to maintain a comfortable temperature. Furthermore, the installation of glazed windows can aid in reducing heat loss while maximizing the entry of natural light. By engaging the services of Rope Access Specialists by SGS High Level glazed windows can be conveniently installed on the exterior of buildings, which will not only diminishes the dependence on energy-consuming lighting but also leads to reduced electricity costs for businesses.
Choose a More Energy Efficient Vehicle
If you have a corporate vehicle that’s due an upgrade, you may want to consider making energy efficiency your main criteria. In fact, not only is this much better for the environment, it will also reduce your road tax. If you can’t afford to buy the vehicle you want outright, consider leasing it instead. You can find more information here, but essentially leasing contracts work over two-to-four years. You’ll pay a monthly fee that’s dependent on your annual mileage and the make and model of the vehicle, and when the deal runs out you’ll simply return the vehicle to the lender. At this point, you can choose a newer model and start over or decide to choose a different financing solution.
