Nature photographer Clyde Butcher knows that greening a business can save green, as in cash. Electricity bills at his Big Cypress Gallery in sun-washed southern Florida have dropped 60 percent-from $360 to $150 a month. He did it by changing light bulbs, specifically replacing his hot-burning 50-watt halogen bulbs with special 7-watt L.E.D. bulbs that screw into his existing track-lighting sockets. As Butcher and others have found, there are plenty of ways small-business owners can go doubly green:
- Call your electricity company to request a free energy audit. Often, someone will tour your business to advise you how to reduce energy costs. You'll also hear how to get rebates for energy-efficient upgrades. Almost every state, county and large municipality has at least one program to help smaller companies reduce energy, waste or water use-and thus cut costs, says Greenbiz.com Executive Editor Joel Makower. His primer on how small companies can get energy help is found here: http://www.greenbiz.com/column/2008/06/22/energy-help-a-primer-smaller-and-bigger-companies/. Find a state-by-state directory of incentives here: www.dsireusa.org.