By: Gillian Earle, Toronto Hydro
There are five easy and effective ways to make your business more eco-friendly and better manage electricity costs:
1. Upgrade your lighting with conservation in mind. You can find small business incentive programs available at many utility companies throughout Canada. For example, small businesses in the Toronto area are invited to participate in Toronto Hydro’s Power Savings Blitz program by having conservation retrofits up to $1,000 completed for free. Through the program, older T12 fluorescent technology lights are replaced with newer T8 fluorescent lights, which will help save up to 25 per cent in operating costs. Traditional EXIT signs (which, by law, must be illuminated whenever the building is occupied, often for 24 hours-a-day) are also replaced with newer, efficient light-emitting diode (LED) signs. It’s an energy waster of up to 30 watts replaced with as little as 2 watts, and LED bulbs can last 10 years without needing replacement. If you do change your lighting, please ensure your contractor is disposing of ballasts and fixtures in an environmentally friendly manner.
2. During the holiday season, consider decorating your business with LED light strings. You’ll reduce energy costs by up to 85%!
3. The truth is, all electronics consume more energy if you leave them running rather than turning them on and off. Be sure to switch equipment, computers, monitors, photocopiers and appliances off when they are not in use. Upgrading older electronics to ENERGY STAR® products will also result in cost savings.
4. The most simple way to see results is to teach staff energy saving tips such as temperature control or using natural lighting when available, and they can apply this knowledge at work and at home.
A variety of conservation programs are available for small businesses through local utilities. Most offer incentives for participation and all offer the benefits of conserving electricity and seeing the savings add up month after month on your electricity bill.
Here’s an example of how one small business owner recognized the importance of conservation:
Being the owner or operator of a small business requires a lot of decision-making, especially when it comes to keeping profits up and operating costs down. Recognizing the importance of conservation is one of the easiest ways to begin reducing your operating costs. Simple actions such as turning lights and electronics off when not in use will make a difference on your electricity bills at year end. Besides these basic measures, there are many conservation programs offered by local utilities throughout Canada, designed and targeted specifically to address the unique issues faced by small businesses.
Call your local utility company to enquire about business incentive programs available for small businesses. For example, Toronto Hydro is currently promoting their Power Savings Blitz, to help make area small businesses more efficient. This program was created for Toronto Hydro’s retail business or small office customers—such as dry cleaners, grocery stores, restaurants, flower shops and other small retailers—with an annual electricity demand of less than 50 kW. The program offers up to $1,000 in free energy-efficient upgrades, with a goal of helping participants save money on their electricity bills.
Typical upgrades include: overhead lighting such as T-8 fluorescent tubes and compact florescent bulbs, which could save up to 25 per cent in operating costs; LED exit lights—these newer signs use as little as 2 watts, and the LED bulbs can last 10 years without needing replacement; water heater insulation blankets and hot water pipe insulation; and faucet aerators.
Shabnam and Frank Weber
The proof is really in the electricity conservation pudding, although it’s not recommended for eating!
Shabnam and Frank Weber participated in the Power Savings Blitz through their business, Tea Emporium Inc.
“Toronto Hydro changed two dozen regular bulbs to compact, fluorescent bulbs. From a lighting perspective, it looks the same—nice and warm. And we’ve also noticed some savings on our bills!”
Using less electricity is good for your businesses bottom-line, and it’s the right thing to do for the environment. Some forms of electricity generation create greenhouse gas and other pollution. Generating less impacts climate change and improves air quality. It’s easy to do your part—just say “YES” to conservation.
For more information on the programs your business can take advantage of, check with your local utility company.
Have you found ways to save “green” for your business this year or set any goals to? If so, we’d love to hear about them!
You’re launching a new business and you want to outfit your home office with budget-friendly tools and supplies that provide quality and reliability. Before you grab a shopping cart, you might want to consider why switching to 
When you’re shopping for lighting, choose bulbs and fixtures with an Energy Star rating. They use up to two-thirds less energy than the regulars. And—not to sound like the boss of you or anything—don’t forget to turn the lights off when you leave a room.
Not only do laptop computers provide you with use-anywhere mobility, they also consume one-eighth the power of a desktop computer. According to Winter, multiple laptop users under one roof performing a variety of tasks will still not use as much power as one desktop computer!
Flatscreen or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitors use less than half the energy of traditional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors, plus they’re lighter and easier to adjust. With sharper quality and no flickering, text is easier to read and there’s less strain on your eyes.
Many everyday items that we toss away without thought can be reused. The back of used paper—daily desk calendars, sticky notes, etc.—makes great notepaper for jotting ideas or diagrams. Use the two-sided setting on your printer and copier to reduce paper consumption, and again, instead of throwing away already-printed-on-one-side paper, use the backside as notepaper. When you do purchase paper, choose brands made from recycled materials and approved by the Forest Stewardship Council of Canada. Save elastic bands from newspaper deliveries. Buy rechargeable batteries and refillable ink and toner cartridges. Did you know that it takes up to 1,000 years for one cartridge to decompose in a landfill? Instead of trashing them, drop your electronic waste, finished rechargeable batteries and old ink and toner cartridges at a 
Online banking is secure, saves you time and reduces paper trails. Have payments deposited directly into your account instead of accepting cheques. Sign up for monthly online statements. At the same time, sign up for online billing. Many companies now offer this service, as well as allow you to make automatic payments through monthly bank account debits. Not only will you save trees by cutting back on the paper trails, you’ll also save money on envelopes and postage. And—bonus!—electronic files take up much less space than file folders and shoeboxes!
Buying used is very fashionable these days. Scour flea markets and yard sales for used office furniture and other items in good condition. It really is true: “one person’s junk is another person’s treasure”… And the extra treasure in my wallet is nice too!
Why choose non-toxic cleaning products when you can get cheaper stuff at a dollar store? Because while you’re sanitizing your office and home, you and everyone else under your roof are inhaling a cocktail of chemicals such as chlorine bleach, ammonia, petrochemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The result? Indoor air pollution as well as environmental pollution through drainage. Non-toxic products might cost a little bit more, but clean breathing air and groundwater is priceless. (Check out STAPLES’ line of 
