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Turning your building into a green space will increase your client-base and reduce your costs dramatically, and energy consumption is one of the easiest ways to begin saving money today!

Energy use in the form of electricity, natural gas, oil, and transportation can account for 30 percent or more of a company's operating budget making it the largest building expenditure. Commercial buildings add 20 percent to US greenhouse gas emissions every year. Here are ten important, yet simple things you can do to reduce energy consumption in your building right away without spending a lot of money.

1. Install programmable thermostats: These little devices are inexpensive and can regulate the heating and cooling your building automatically, saving you the hassle of manually adjusting them. Temperatures will be adjusted to use less energy when your building is vacant, thus saving you money every single day.

2. Install power strips: Hook up all of your electronic devices to power strips to make it easy for people to turn off computers, lights, appliances, and other energy-sucking items when they are not in use. Power strips are a cost-effective way to reduce energy consumption throughout your building.

3. Use energy-saving features on electronics: Computers, printers, and copiers often come with power-management features that allow them to be put into sleep mode or be shut off when they are sitting idle. Enabling these features is another way to automate energy savings on these power-consuming devices.

4. Maintain appliances: Keeping appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and clothes dryers running well means they can perform more efficiently, thus saving you electricity. A regular maintenance schedule will keep these units in tip top shape, saving you water, energy, and money from month to month.

5. Reduce thermostat setting on water heater: Your tank-style water heater continually heats water whether or not it is required. Turning down the thermostat on the water heater even 10 degrees will cut energy costs by 3-5 percent. It also reduces corrosion and mineral buildup in your pipes and tank, which reduce maintenance costs.

6. Upgrade to energy efficient lighting: If your building has fluorescent lighting and is older than 10 years, more than likely the lamps in use are T12s. These lamps use more energy than the newer options such as T8s and T12s, both of which use significantly less energy. LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are some of the newest options available in lighting. They are solid-state bulbs, which mean they are virtually indestructible and are mercury-free, and they're much more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs. More to the point, LEDs use 50 percent less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs and last 100 times longer. While CFLs (compact fluorescents) don't achieve the spectacular savings of LEDs, they are tremendously more efficient and longer-lasting than conventional incandescent bulbs. Compared to regular bulbs, CFLs use between 60 and 85 percent less energy and last eight to 10 times longer. So upgrade your lighting today to these energy-saving lamps.

7. Automate lighting: Many light fixtures in a building can be controlled automatically, which, depending on the size of the building, occupancy patterns, and level of improvement, can result in overall electricity savings of 35-45 percent. Several automation options include infrared and ultrasonic devices, timers, and photo sensors.

8. Use Dark Sky Compliant, full cut-off exterior lighting: Nationwide, more than $1.5 billion worth of electricity is wasted on inefficient outdoor lighting designs, due in large part to outdated lamps and light pollution. A large majority of outdoor light fixtures for parking structures, public spaces, and streets use fixtures that allow light to shine up and out rather than down, wasting a huge amount of energy and creating hazards to wildlife. Dark sky lighting, or full cut-off lighting ensures light is focused toward the ground where it is needed, allowing you to use lower-wattage bulbs and save large quantities of energy.

9. Adjust thermostat settings for optimum energy savings: Making even slight changes toward the lower-energy temperature settings recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can greatly reduce overall HVAC costs. According to the US DOE, for every degree you set back your thermostat for eight hours during heating season, you can save as much as 1 percent on your heating bill. Similarly, for every degree above 72 you set your thermostat during warmer weather, you reduce your cooling costs by 3 percent.

10. Choose ENERGY STAR products: The EPA ENERGY STAR program certifies many products, including computers, printers, copiers, appliances, air conditioners, and some HVAC systems. If you need to replace any of these items, look for the ENERGY STAR logo to save 10-50 percent in energy as well as lower water and paper consumption.

These low-cost, high-impact solutions are your ticket to saving money and lowering your greenhouse gas emissions quickly and effectively. If we all do our part, the combined impact is great, so get saving!

About the Author

I'm Nestor Santtia, an experienced General Contractor, Certified Green Building Technical Professional, and proud member of the U.S. Green Building Council. I'm confident in helping you with your home energy deficiencies. Learn more on my websites at www.ecorealtor101.ning.com, and www.howtobecomeanecorealtor.com, and in Spanish at www.vivemasverde.com

The average U.S. household spends about $2,150 every year on utility bills. If you're spending more than $152 per month, you're paying more than average. By making simple improvements to your home you could reduce your utility bill from 10 to 50 percent.

1. Shade Those Windows

How you cover your windows has a direct impact on how much energy you save. Dark curtains and good covering blinds are important. In the summer keep curtains/blinds closed to windows facing the sun. In the winter, open them for some natural heating.

2. Landscape That Lawn

Not just for looks, trees can be an important way to reduce energy. Planting deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves in the winter) around your home will help keep your home cool in the summer, and let the sun through in the winter.

3. Choose Your Exterior Wisely

When painting, or replacing your siding or roof, be sure and pick white or light colors. This, though it may not help a whole lot, is a no-cost way to reduce your bill. For roofing options, a white metal roof gives the best benefit.

4. Use CFL's (Compact Fluorescent Lights)

CFLs cost a bit more, but use 75% less energy than regular light bulbs and last about 10 times longer -so you save money, and you stay cooler. Replacing just four well-used 100-watt bulbs with equivalent 23-watt CFLs will save you $108 over three years!

5. Turn Off Those Lights

This should be a no-brainer, but we all need reminders every once in a while. This is a 100% free way to reduce your energy bill. If a light isn't being used, turn it off. If this is a hard habit to get into, install timers on all of your lights

6. Buy Energy Efficient Appliances

A lot can be said here, as this is a huge way to cut energy costs. A few things to remember: Every appliance in your house uses energy, and knowing how much energy each uses is a big benefit to you. A good idea is to check the yellow Energy Star label on appliances.

7. Upgrade Your Attic Insulation

If you don't already have insulation, adding it can save you between 10% and 20% on your heating bills. The higher the R value (heat-resistance factor) of the insulation, the better. For the attic, use at least R40. It's also a good idea to use a good sealant on your attic door.

8. Seal Those Air Ducts

The typical home lose 30%-40% of the cooling they pay for. This is because most ducts are leaky. Not a good thing, being as your ducts are the hottest place in your house. To avoid this, seal your duct system with mastic and mesh (not duct tape), and insulated with R-8 or better.

9. Clean Those Air Filters

You need to clean or replace air conditioner and furnace filters at least once per month. A dirty filter makes these appliances work much harder, using more energy and costing you more money.

10. Use More Cold Water

Yet another no-brainer, sometimes people forget this important tip. Reaching for that hot water faucet need not be a necessity. Dishes, clothes and hands can all be rinsed in cold water.