In today’s highly competitive landscape, more and more companies are beginning to realize that it makes good business sense to go green. We’ve teamed up with DNEResources.com to provide this checklist to help you determine when your business should contact an energy consulting firm so that when you do move forward, you’re moving in the right direction.

Lower Your Utility Bills

Energy consultants can help negotiate your energy costs by calling suppliers and asking for the best deals. But there are also other ways you can benefit from their services. For example, they can check if your office’s HVAC systems are working efficiently. They can also perform an energy audit to determine how you can reduce energy consumption and lower your utility costs.

Green Your Business

There are many ways to make your business more environmentally friendly. You can switch to post-consumer waste by skipping paper entirely and using biodegradable products in your office. You can power your office with renewable energy. Oftentimes, however, a business manager or owner may not know how to start this project or they simply do not have the time to do it themselves and this is where energy experts come in. They can teach you and your employees green practices, how to utilize energy better, and so on.

Meet Customer Expectations

By opting to take steps to reduce carbon emissions and stick to green practices, you demonstrate to your customers that your company cares about them and the environment. In doing so, not only will you boost your company’s image but you are also adopting sustainable practices that will help your business save money in the long run.

Improve the Workplace Environment

Using green options like green cleaning supplies is beneficial for your employees. This is particularly true for those who suffer from respiratory problems like asthma and other health conditions, since green products do not contain harmful chemicals like nitrobenzene and sodium hypochlorite. By going green, you show to your employees that you are looking after their well-being. This, in turn, fosters loyalty.

Expand Your Business

Energy spending is usually a large part of any company’s budget so by lowering your energy spend with the help of an expert, you’ll be able to allocate your resources to other aspects of your business. With the savings you get from cutting energy costs, you can afford to spend more on marketing, hiring new employees, and so on.

Mitigate Risks

Apart from rising energy costs, there’s also uncertainty in commercial energy supply. Experts are predicting that by 2020, world oil production will have reached its peak. When that time comes, retrievable oil will decline. An energy consultant can help you determine how you can manage risks and help you decide when and how to transition to renewable energy, like wind and solar.

Going green has become straightforward, affordable, and necessary. With the help of an energy consultant, you can effectively plan and implement sustainable practices that will benefit your company as long as it operates.

Note: Sponsors like DNEResources enable us to bring you expert content at no cost to you. Our editorial opinions remain our own.

The post 6 Ways You’ll Know It’s Time to Hire an Energy Consulting Firm appeared first on Big Green Purse.

1. Caulk or weatherstrip windows and doors. Heating accounts for the biggest chunk of most utility bills – and offers the most opportunities for money and energy savings. Did you know that the energy used by the average home generates twice as much pollution as the average car? Materials for the average twelve-window, two-door house could cost about $25, but savings in annual energy costs might amount to more than 10 percent of your yearly heating bill. According to the Department of Energy, if every gas-heated home were properly caulked and weather-stripped, we’d save enough natural gas each year to heat almost 4 million more homes. You can find weatherstripping at most hardware stores. To minimize indoor air pollution from the weatherstripping materials you use, try water-based caulks like Quick Shield VOC-Free Sealant or Polyseamseal.

2. Install storm windows and doors. Combination screen and storm windows and doors are the most convenient and energy efficient because they can be opened easily when there is no need to run heating or cooling equipment. Installing high efficiency Energy Star windows can reduce heating and cooling costs by 15 percent; you can save from $125-$340 a year when you replace single pane windows with their Energy Star equivalents. If you don’t want to buy new windows, cover existing window with a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on the frame. You can buy a ready-made kit again at most hardware stores. A third alternative? Thermal draperies, made with a thick, fiber-filled backing to fit snugly against the entire window frame, can reduce heat loss by as much as 50 percent and save you $15 per window each winter. Even simple heavy drapes can save about $10 per window annually.

3. Insulate. You can reduce your energy needs by as much as 20 to 30 percent, and save about four months’ worth of household energy, by investing in insulation. Focus on your attic floor or top floor ceiling, crawlspace, exterior walls. basement ceilings and walls, and rooms over unheated spaces, like garages. The “Simply Insulate” website maintained by the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association will tell you how much insulation you need in the different parts of your house, depending on where you live. Think about using cotton insulation made from recycled cotton or denim scrap that will have no impact on your indoor air quality, unlike the formaldehyde ingredients in fiberglass insulation.

4. Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat allows you to predetermine temperatures for daytime and evening comfort as well as energy savings. It can save you as much as 20 percent if you opt to reduce temperatures by 5 degrees at night and 10 degrees during the day when most people are out of the house.

5. Get an energy audit. At low or no cost, your local utility may provide a specially trained auditor to examine your home and explain what inexpensive and free energy conservation actions you can take to save money and energy immediately. The auditor may also take an infrared photograph of your home to help you pinpoint exactly where heat is being lost. You can also use this do-it-yourself audit tool developed by the city of Seattle.

6. Set your water heater to 120 degrees. If you currently heat your water to 140 degrees, you may save as much as 10 percent on water-heating costs by dialing the thermostat down a bit.

7. Wrap your hot water pipes in insulating tape or foam. You’ll reduce the loss of heat through the hot water pipes that move hot water from your water tank to your faucets.

8. Use less hot water. Wash laundry in cold water. Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. Fix leaky faucets. Wash full loads of laundry and dishes.

9. Maintain your furnace. If you heat with oil, have your furnace serviced at least once a year to save 10 percent in fuel consumption (if you do this in summer, you’ll get cheaper, off-season rates). Clean or replace the filters in your forced-air heating system each month. Dust or vacuum radiator surfaces frequently. If you must replace your furnace, buy the most energy-efficient model you can afford. If you have a fireplace, keep the damper closed to avoid losing as much as 8 percent of your home’s heated or cooled air.

10. Upgrade your appliances. When you replace your appliances, choose Energy Star models, which use 10-50% less energy and water than the standard alternatives. If just one in 10 homes used ENERGY STAR qualified appliances, the environmental benefit would be like planting 1.7 million new acres of trees.

Here are more energy-saving tips that save money, too.

Can “clean” coal or nuclear power solve our climate change problems. I don’t think so.

Here’s why climate change matters to women in particular.

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