Making your business greener is achievable with renewable alternatives. Investing in these won’t only save the environment but also help your business thrive as modern consumers become more environmentally conscious. Surveys show that, globally, 8 in 10 consumers value sustainability. Here are some of the best renewable alternatives to consider.

Ground Source Heat Pumps

Heat pumps can heat and cool commercial buildings, including offices. These long-lasting ground source heat pumps can give your business the benefit of reduced overhead by lowering carbon emissions long-term. But to continually improve your building’s energy performance, you’ll need to schedule regular maintenance for ground source heat pumps.

Solar Panels 

Solar energy is one of the best renewable alternatives for small-scale businesses. It generates energy by capturing energy from the sun, converting it into electricity. You can generate solar power with solar panels, virtually providing you with a limitless renewable energy supply. With the right technology on your side, solar energy can help your business reduce its energy bills. With this, you can eliminate long-term energy costs.

Paperless Operations 

In today’s digital age, paperless operations are becoming more common among businesses. Digital documents are easier and cheaper to store and retrieve. Besides making operations more convenient, they can also reduce clutter in the office.

However, for some, cutting out paper isn’t an option. If this is the case for you, a fantastic renewable alternative is recycling all the paper your office uses. Plus, you change the settings on your network to have papers get printed on both sides. Don’t forget about the paper hand towels in bathrooms. It’s best to replace them with automatic hand dryers.

Green Roofs

Green roofs are an eco-friendly alternative to reducing your energy consumption. They provide natural insulation to the area, improving air quality and reducing pollution. Adding one to the office is an excellent way to transform it into an oasis. With this, expect improvements in employee engagement and reduced carbon emissions.

These can save you millions on energy costs while improving the property’s value. All while protecting the environment.

Water Recycling

Recycling water involves wastewater treatment. It produces reused water that you can use for other purposes. Doing this in your office can be a great way to cut costs and save water as multiple people likely use the workplace’s bathroom and sink every day. Besides saving money, recycling water can extend your water supplies while improving its quality over time. If you run a large-scale business, investing in a system dedicated to recycling water is ideal as your offices and buildings likely use gallons of water every day.

Indoor Plants 

Adding greenery to the office can do more than brighten and freshen up the place. Having plants in the office can make your employees happier and perform better. Psychologists have found a 15% increase in productivity and improvements in memory retention among workers operating in a green environment. Plus, plants emit oxygen, reducing air pollution around your workplace.

Plants can also reduce noise pollution, which is crucial in open-plan workspaces. Although you can have the plants arranged in any way you want, it’s best to use pot plants evenly around the building. Doing so enables everyone to enjoy the benefits of nature — indoors.

Multi-purpose Machines

The office equipment you purchase may make things easier, but they can produce tons of toxic substances in the manufacturing and disposal phases. So an alternative to this is using multi-purpose machines. For instance, instead of buying separate Xerox and faxing machines, consider using a multi-purpose device that can handle copying, faxing, scanning, and printing in one.

Reuse and Recycle

Recycling or reusing items is one of the most efficient and easiest ways to make your office greener. You can do this by setting up recycling bins throughout the building. Make sure to have dedicated bins for paper, plastic, and glass for easy segregation. Plus, if your office’s coffee machine uses pods, recycle them to avoid filling up landfills.

If you have an office canteen or pantry, try to look for ways to reuse items. Examples include replacing disposable kitchen items with steel cutlery or using reusable mugs and cups for morning coffee.

Natural Light

Artificial lighting can be harmful to the environment. Plus, it represents 40% of electricity consumption in a standard office building. So not only can it harm your surroundings, it can cost you a lot. An excellent alternative for this is natural light. You can do this by opening the blinds and letting daylight throughout the office. Doing this will save energy costs and the environment.

There are many reasons you should incorporate renewable alternatives in your business. Implementing any of the renewable options mentioned can make your offices and buildings more sustainable. Not only are they good for the surroundings, but they can also reduce overhead costs, improve work productivity, and attract more customers.