If you own a business, apartment complex, or even your home, chances are you've been hearing about "going green".
You may very well have also learned that getting "certified green" can provide significant savings in energy, thus reducing your operational costs while simultaneously helping the environment. Great! But if you've done your research, you also know that going green is an investment, and while it is a reliable one, it is also one with an often significant initial cost and a wait of at least a year or two for a return. Buy hey, to save hundreds or thousands a month on operating costs, it's worth the cost and the wait. The question is, what is the best way to capitalize on all this green technology? If you're going to invest in green certification, the best tactic is often to go for the most advantageous move first, and plow the savings into upgrading other options once you've seen the ROI.
LED lighting is the largest energy saving tool you could use on your apartment building that has the quickest impact on your bottom line and puts money in your pocket by raising net operating income (NOI). Bulb replacement is quick and easy. LEDs last 50,000 hours of usage while reduction your bulb energy consumption by 60% to 90%! Forget about paying your maintenance staff to spend time changing bulbs every month. Return on investment (ROI) is greater than 50% in your first year of using LEDs. How? Because high power LEDs consume between 6 watts and 12 watts. Compare that to the wattage that your current bulbs are using at your property.
You can also control water usage by installing water saving devices in sinks, toilets, and showers. This singular move can save you thousands of dollars annually. Depending on your complex's water usage, you can fully realize your return on investment (ROI) within a few short months! In homes across the U.S., the bathroom accounts for 74% of water used. About 5% of all domestic water consumption runs from the lavatory faucet in the sink, and eventually into the sewer. About 40% of all domestic water consumed is used to flush toilets! Installing water-saving devices can help you save all this lost money! Showers are obviously the other big source of water usage. Most people in the United States do not take cold showers, and showers normally last from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. Shower usage has three related utilities (water, sewage and heated water), but the greatest expense associated with showers is heated water expense. The energy source in the US is normally natural gas or electricity.
Those two tactics are a great way to start your green campaign. From there, you might also consider the insulation of your pipes and air ducts, solar panels, and upgraded heating and air conditioning units. You can also add energy-efficient doors and windows. How do doors and windows save energy? Because if they keep out the summer heat and winter cold, you're less reliant on your heater and air conditioner. By upgrading your equipment, whether all at once or a step at a time, you can save a lot of energy and, by extension, money.
About the Author:
Dustin Schwerman is the head web designer for Truly Unique Website Design. Truly Unique works on websites of all varieties; their clients may offer products and services ranging from energy saving lights to energy saving.
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