These days it is more important than ever to save energy. It is a rising cost for many businesses so it makes a lot of sense to make sure you are saving energy wherever possible. Green businesses these days are the ones that are more resilient to changes in the world that affect the cost and availability of energy.
If you already have an existing business location, then converting it and redesigning it to become more self-sufficient is going to make your company much stronger over time. In this article, we will go over several ways that you can retrofit an existing building to be more green.
Get radiant floor heating
One of the best ways to heat a large space is for it to come from the floor and rise up through the air. It is much better to have in-floor heating instead of hydronic heating with radiators or even forced hot air.
In those systems, there are always cold spots and hot spots so it costs a lot to get the space evenly heated. When the heat rises up from the floor, it heats the air evenly and efficiently. If you are having trouble with your heating then this is the ideal solution.
Retrofitting depends on what the current floor is like. You may be able to put the heating elements on top of your existing floor, but you may need to hire a commercial concrete cutting company to remove the floor you already have.
Regardless of how you install the floor, it will pay for itself over time with the savings that it provides.
Green roof
A green roof is not just a roof that is more eco-friendly than one covered in asphalt. It literally is green since it has plants growing on it. The idea is to plant a green area with grass, shrubs, flowers, and other greenery to create a system there that will reduce energy consumption by the entire building.
The biggest benefit is how it impacts the heating and cooling of the building. It creates a living barrier that acts as the ideal insulation to keep the heat in and the cold out and vice versa. Another huge benefit is the fact that it is very low maintenance.
The other factor that makes it work well is how it reduces water runoff that ends up in the sewer system and finally at a water treatment plant. This saves water as it traps it and allows it to evaporate back into the atmosphere.
Water-saving measures
One of the easiest retrofits to make is to add some water-saving features to your plumbing. Low flow faucets and toilets are a great way to save a lot of water. Rainwater can also be harvested to use for greywater applications such as flushing water for the toilets or to water your landscaping. Reusing the water you’ve sent down the drain is much better than paying for more water every time you open the tap.
