Maintaining a business can be an expensive venture. Between shipments, advertising, store upkeep, and utilities, expenses can soar.

One way to save money and reduce environmental impact is to implement energy efficient changes. Consider these five factors as the beginning of your cost savings:

Buy energy efficient devices: Use devices in your store that run on less energy, as well as reduce emissions and heat.

Control heating and cooling: Simply keeping temperature levels at a degree lower in the winter and higher in the summer can reduce power by up to 10 percent. Programmatically adjusting the HVAC system when people are not occupying the store can net you even more savings.

Invest in an energy audit: Have a building inspector check out your store for an in-depth look at energy use and what can be changed. Knowing exactly where energy and money is being wasted is an important step on the road to efficiency.

Take advantage of tax incentives: Your local state government may offer tax breaks for adding solar panels, using on-demand water heaters, switching to LED lighting, or making other energy efficient changes.

Turn it off if it isn’t in use: Don’t leave on lights or equipment when they are not being used. Being conscious of switching off lighting and other devices reduces energy consumption and prolongs the useful life of the lighting and devices.

Truong Duy