Goal For The Green

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Archive for the ‘Energy’ Category

Keeping the Budget

Aug-13-2015 By Barbara Zak

Whether a business is large or small, it is important for each one to stay within a budget. There are various seasons that a business experiences good and bad times, but it is important that there are funds available when circumstances get difficult. There are ways that a company can keep a budget and ensure that it does not go in the red.

Reducing Unnecessary Use
It can be easy for businesses and workers not to even consider how much paper and office products are used on a daily and monthly basis. However, when the costs are accounted, people can be surprised as they learn that office supplies can be extremely expensive. That being stated, there are ways to reduce the amount of paper that is used each day. Electronic files can be an excellent way to reduce the amount of paper that is in an office. Furthermore, it reduces the amount of storage space that is needed in a workplace. The additional space can be used for something more important, such as a new cubicle for new hires. Companies that reduce the amount of paper products when sending out advertisements and billing for customers can help as well. Saving on little things can truly keep costs down.

Contracting Out
There are times that it can make financial sense for a company to contract out specific tasks for other individuals or companies to do. Cleaning is one task that can take up time and capital on a monthly basis. Furthermore, it can be expensive to purchase cleaning products that do not have a bad impact on the environment. However, there are companies that are able to do commercial restroom cleaning and other cleaning activities at a decent price. In fact, it may make more financial sense to use contractors to do these types of jobs. After all, a contractor has plenty of incentive to show up on time and take care of a task properly each day. A business can go elsewhere if people are not satisfied with results. Contracting out specific jobs can enable a business to focus on what it does best instead of focusing on other tasks.

Keeping a budget can be a difficult task to do. There are specialists and individuals who are able to provide wisdom and assistance that can be priceless. The result can be that a business functions extremely well.

4 Tips for Green Energy Savings

Aug-9-2015 By Barbara Zak

Most people want to have lower utility bills as well as to leave less of an environmental footprint. There are several things that you can do that can leave you with lower bills as well as less of an environmental impact. Understanding which utility company has the greenest approach to the provision of energy is also important, which is why companies like Compare Texas Energy Providers give comparisons of the different available energy options companies offer. Here are things you can do at home to help.

Stop the Phantom Load

Even when you are not using an appliance, it will still consume a significant amount of energy just by being plugged in. According to the University of California at Berkeley, as much as six percent of residential energy consumption across the nation occurs due to these phantom loads. You can stop yourself from having higher bills and contributing to the problem by simply unplugging all appliances that you are not using, or by plugging them into a power strip and turning the power strip off.

Switch Light Bulbs

A very inexpensive way to save on utility bills while also helping the environment is switching from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs reduce energy consumption by as much as 75 percent over incandescent ones, last 10 times longer and generally pay for themselves on average in about six months.

Buy a Different Thermostat

You might consider purchasing and installing a programmable thermostat, which you can program to automatically adjust the temperature inside of your home according to when you need it to be comfortable. For example, the thermostat may adjust the temperature to where it is either not cooling your home during the day in the summer when you are at work, or not heating it in the winter, only turning back on about 30 minutes before you return home.

Look for and Seal Leaks

As much as 10 percent of a home’s energy costs may be do to tiny cracks which allow air from inside to escape. You should thus carefully inspect your home for these cracks and use caulk or another sealant to close them.

In addition to comparing various energy companies to make certain you are choosing the greenest one and the one with the best rates, taking simple steps on your own can save you big on your energy bills. As an additional plus, reducing your utility bills also reduces your impact on the environment.

Choosing a Pressure Washing Company

Aug-5-2015 By Barbara Zak

Pressure washing is a fast, safe and effective way to clean a wide variety of surfaces, especially the exteriors of buildings. The popularity of pressure washing has really taken off in recent years, with many companies now offering this service. However, the quality of these pressure washing companies tends to vary quite dramatically. Therefore, if you simply call the first pressure washing company you see listed in the phone book, you could be in for a rude awakening. If one of these companies is charging a price that is so low that you can’t believe it, there is probably a very good reason. Be cautious when you are vetting these companies. Here is how you can go about locating a company that does pressure washing.

1. Ask people in your neighborhood

There is a strong likelihood that you have seen at least one of your neighbors having his or her house pressure washed in the past. If this is the case, talk to the person and inquire which company they used. How many times have they hired this company? Did they do a professional job? Was there a large mess when the company left? Did the company leave things just the way they found them? How much did the company charge? The more people in your neighborhood that you can find who have hired pressure washing companies in the past, the better it will be for you.

2. Visit some sites of companies that do pressure washing

You would be smart to take a peek at the various websites that are out there for pressure washing companies. You should do this even if you get a lot of references from the people in your neighborhood. You can never have too many company names to fall back on if some do not pan out. While you are browsing these sites, try to find some that use eco-friendly solvents, like the ones used by Renew Crew.

3. Online reviews

A third option to help you track down a company to do your pressure washing is to read online reviews. There are now reviews for many different companies posted on sites that are designed to allow previous customers a place to sound off about their experience. Go to these sites and see if any of the companies that perform pressure washing in your area have been reviewed. Read as many of these reviews as you have time for.