Money-Saving Tip for your Business – Save Water

Tip sponsored by:  Yellowpages.com

Water-efficiency measures can reduce water and sewer costs by up to 30 percent.  A variety of methods ranging from innovative water recycling techniques to simple common sense approaches can lead to substantial cost savings and water use reduction.

For example, replace old, high-volume kitchen sprayers with high-velocity, low-flow models, and save up to $1,000 a year in hot water costs. Replace a 10- to 20-year-old conventional dishwasher with an infrared gas dishwasher and save up to $2,900 annually.  As appliances wear out, replace them with ENERGY STAR water-saving models

Conduct a water audit to determine water efficiency and conservation projects that make that most sense for your business.  A water audit is the process that identifies the quantities, characteristics, and uses of all water on the site.  Information about conducting a water audit at your business can be found at CoolCalifornia.org.

In El Dorado County, the El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) offers a complimentary water-use survey for commercial, industrial, and institutional properties to assist both EID and City of Placerville business customers to identify any plumbing leaks and/or fine tune their irrigation schedules.  The South Tahoe Public Utility District provides indoor and outdoor conservation programs to help you save month time and money. Every business can take action or make simple behavior changes to save water at little to no cost to the business.  For example:

Detect and Repair Leaks

For example, toilet tanks can be checked with a few drops of food coloring. After 15 minutes without flushing, does any color show up in the bowl? Given that a leaky toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day, repair running or leaking toilets as soon as possible.

Install Water Efficient Devices

Install the following devices at your business where appropriate – faucet aerators, low flow showerheads, on-off valves on showerheads or hoses, toilet tank displacement devices, low-flow or vacuum flush toilets, and/or water-efficient chillers

Eliminate Unnecessary Water Use Outside.

Avoid runoff. Set sprinklers to cover only lawn or garden, not sidewalks!.

Mulch around plants and trees to retain moisture and prevent weeds.

Minimize lawns. Lawns use more water than any other landscape plants.

Plant native plants adapted to local climate and rainfall.

Use drip and other low-flow irrigation devices.For other cost savings tips and money saving ideas, check out the Small Business Toolkit at: www.coolcalifornia.org/small-business.

By Kyra Naumoff, California Air Resources Board

Tips on How to Be a Green Shopper

Tip sponsored by: Basic Urban Kitchen + Bar

BYOB - Bring your own bags to shop and reuse bags from previous shopping trips. Raley’s gives you 5 cents back for each bag used to pack your groceries. Decline a bag for single or small items that you can carry easily or put in your pocket or purse. Keep a stash of bags to reuse in your car, so they’re handy for every shopping trip.

Choose Quality Over Quantity: Buy higher quality items that will last longer and won’t need to be thrown out. With many options to choose from, the temptation can be to buy disposable items, use once and discard after use. Use products designed for multiple use, such as cloth napkins, dishcloths, rechargeable batteries, refillable containers, and washable utensils. You’ll help cut down on waste.

Shop the Bulk Bins: Check out the Bulk Bins in your local Raley’s or Bel Air Natural Foods Department – you can choose an amount that’s just right for your needs, so you decrease waste. Plus, there’s less packaging for bulk bin products.

Recycle Your Plastic Bags: In each of our stores, we offer plastic bag recycling kiosks so feel free to use them! You can discard clean, empty plastic bags for responsible recycling in your same trip to the store

By Earline Griffith, Raley’s Registered Dietitian

A Money-Saving Tip for your Business – Conduct an Energy Audit

Tip sponsored by:  Style Magazine

Cost-effective energy efficiency projects can reduce annual utility bills by 20% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while adding money to your bottom line.

To identify the energy efficiency projects that make sense for your business, have an energy audit performed.  An energy audit identifies how energy is used at a business and recommends actions to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy costs.

In El Dorado County, look up the El Dorado County Energy Partnership sponsored by PG & E; energy-efficiency experts are available to perform free energy audits to help businesses identify energy-saving opportunities.   For other county or statewide financial resources, see CoolCalifornia.org.

Every business can take action or make simple behavior changes to save energy at little to no cost to the business.  For example:

Turn off equipment (lights, computers, other office equipment) on nights, weekends, and when not in use.

Lower your thermostat in the winter and raise it in the summer.  Every degree of cooling increases energy use by 4% to 5% (e.g., cooling to 73° F instead of 76° F uses 12% to 15% more energy). Save up to $500 per year.

Open your window blinds or drapes and use sunshine or “day lighting” to warm your business during cooler months.  Close them at night to retain the heat.

Keep doors and windows closed to prevent heat loss during winter of loss of cool air in summer.

Regularly clean and maintain food refrigeration equipment where applicable.

Clean all filters in your heating and cooling system monthly.

Caulk or weather strip any drafty doors or windows.

For other cost savings tips and money saving ideas, check out the Small Business Toolkit at: www.coolcalifornia.org/small-business.

By Kyra Naumoff, California Air Resources Board