“Green” seems to be the buzzword for 2014 and now many warehouse and manufacturing facilities are getting into the game.
Recently, Tim Barrett and Arthur Barrett, executives at Barrett Distribution — a Franklin, Massachusetts, warehousing company — shared their tips on creating greener facilities for business:
1. When It Comes to Reducing Waste, Target Low-Hanging Fruit — Sometimes saving money is easy. Insist that your manager enforce strict rules for truck idling time at your loading docks and parking areas. Make sure workers know and understand the rules for opening and closing loading dock doors to prevent heat from escaping in winter and cool air from leaking in summer. Insulate office and warehouse spaces.
2. Consider Alternative Energy Sources — Many companies are now considering installing solar energy panels on their roofs to harness the sun’s energy. Once you get past construction and installation costs, that’s 100% free energy. You may even be able to recover your investment through tax energy incentives.
3. Out Go the Lights — Much of your facility’s electric bill is eaten up by illumination. When areas are not operational, use timers equipped with inexpensive motion detectors to turn off the lights. Replace old, inefficient lighting fixtures with newer, high-efficiency lighting that is more environmentally friendly. Something as simple as cutting a skylight into the roof can help substantially reduce your electrical bills and save energy.
4. Are ‘Smart Meters’ An Option? — A growing number of energy providers are offering smart meters to their commercial customers so you can measure energy usage, including “time of day” energy rates. This may enable you to buy energy during non-peak periods at lower rates for such tasks as charging your electric forklifts. Ask your energy provider if this is an option for you.
5. Knowledge is Power — The more you know about your facility’s energy usage, the better prepared you are to do something about it. Consider installing low-cost energy monitoring software that can pinpoint your biggest waste areas for electricity, gas and water consumption. There are even software programs that let you view energy usage in real time across several facilities at once. You can then compare your usage with industry averages and identify areas for savings.
6. Water, Water Everywhere … But Why? — Outdated and inefficient toilets and faucets were designed in an era where water was plentiful and cheap. Today, however, the cost of water is rising along with everything else. Consider replacing your fixtures with modern, efficient waterless urinals, dual flush toilets and faucets equipped with motion detectors. All will substantially reduce your water usage. Combined with automatic shut-off restroom lights this can result in real savings. Plus, high efficiency hand dryers can cut down on your paper costs, not to mention reduce litter and decrease cleaning costs.
7. Get Your Workers On Board — Saving energy is a team effort. Encourage your employees to be aware of energy waste and reward and recognize those employees who do something about it. Enthusiasm is infectious, so the more excited you can get your workers about saving energy through education, the lower your energy costs will be.
Bahrns carries a wide variety of energy saving materials handling products that can help reduce your energy usage and lower costs.