Charles Crumpley stated in his column of Nov. 30 (“Time to Chill on Global Warming”) that California’s Global Warming Solutions Act will cost small businesses $50,000 a year! Well, I actually think that by trying to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they produce, businesses could well save at least that much a year, not lose it.
As we have often been told, the Chinese character for “crisis” has two meanings: danger and opportunity. We could just focus on the danger. But if we do, we’ll miss out on the great opportunities that trying to reduce our carbon footprints bring.
One of the first things that all environmentalists know is that the best way to reduce our energy usage is to not use it in the first place. Chevron says on its Web site, “Energy efficiency and conservation are the most affordable and readily available sources of clean energy.” And I believe that most businesses with offices greater than 5,000 square feet could easily save 30 percent on their electricity bills with no- or low-cost measures.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers has researched the best temperatures for offices in the United States, and found that they should be relative to the outside temperature. So, for Los Angeles, the ideal cooling season setting is 78 degrees and for the heating season 70 degrees. In my experience, that is the exact opposite of what most offices do, which is to cool to 70 degrees and heat to 75 degrees. Assuming that each degree saved is between a 2 percent and 4 percent saving on electricity, that can easily add up to a 25 percent saving on HVAC costs. And that’s by doing nothing more than resetting the thermostats.
And, yes, I know in an office some people are hot and some cold regardless of what the settings are. But at the same time you reset the thermostats you could also let the staff know why, and suggest lighter clothing in summer and warmer in winter. And then the lady I talked to in one office can turn off the heater she had under her desk in the middle of summer!
When I was working in Tokyo, then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi started a campaign called “Cool Biz” in which he encouraged businessmen who wore suits and ties all summer, in heat of more than 100 degrees and 80 percent humidity, to take off their jackets and ties. The Japanese businessmen, who are proud of looking well dressed, very quickly took up the challenge, and a whole new “Cool Biz” business started up by selling buttoned-down collar shirts so the workers could still look sharp but be cool.
The U.S. Green Building Council (the body that oversees the certification for LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has carried out research that shows when workers are in a greener and better indoor environment, they are more productive and take on average 2.88 days less in sick leave a year. Since staff salaries are the biggest cost for most businesses, saving nearly three days per staff member easily offsets the cost of investing in energy efficiencies.
Also, as anybody who experienced the rolling blackouts in California a few years ago knows, the power companies are also struggling to keep up with demand. So the good news for businesses is that electric utilities are keen to help you to reduce your energy use. They have a variety of plans to help pay for retrofitting work, and that is only one source of help.
These ideas don’t just apply to offices; the same principles can be used for the movie industry. Fox Media will be carbon neutral next year and the Producers Guild of America has a site (www.pgagreen.org) to provide moviemakers with the latest best practices.
Being green is all about using less and using it more efficiently, so being green is just good business sense, after all.
Paul Blagbrough is the managing partner of Carbon Reduction Services, an energy and carbon footprint auditing company in Culver City.
