Energy Efficiency – Save Big Naturally

How does a 1000% return on investment with a payback period of five weeks sound? Too good to be true? Not at all, this is a true example of what can be achieved through energy efficiency improvements.

Yes, eco-friendly options may sound like a luxury, but it can save your business big money. The truth is the ROI on energy efficiency measures is often huge, shockingly so even. The above example, which was the result simply of a North American bank that had been leaving their PCs on all night in order for updates to be installed investing $100,000 on a automated system. The end result was them saving at least $1 million dollars per year–forever!

While it is true many energy efficiency projects will not result in such dramatic improvements as the example given, most have excellent ROIs, better than most investment in fact, and they can also add to the profile of your business since you can promote your environmental efforts. Additionally, when the economy rebounds, and it will at some point, energy prices will undoubtedly rebound as well.

So here are some simple examples to kick start your energy efficiency brainstorming…

• Consider switching to laptop computers because they consume significantly less energy.
• There is a common misconception that screen savers reduce energy use by monitors; they do not. Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.
• If you need a new server, remember to consider energy efficiency. They consume significant amounts of energy, but there are some newer options coming on the market that are both cost effective and energy efficient.
• “Tune-up” your heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system with an annual maintenance contract. Additionally, you may want to look at replacing your current HVAC system with a more efficient one.
• The ROI on hybrid / energy efficient vehicles is getting higher every year. A cost analysis may provide some shocking numbers, including a payback period of only a year or two.

Source: Profit Magazine, May 2009 (www.profitguide.com)