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CUSTOMER SERVICE SPOTLIGHT...
Our economy is healthier when your business is operating out of the black and “In the Green,” and so is our environment. We have consistently been committed to reducing the financial burden of doing business helping your bottom line. Now we’re expanding that mission to help reduce the environmental burden of doing business.
Reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment is our collective responsibility. Governor Charlie Crist launched the “Serve to Preserve” initiative last summer to help bring Florida into the forefront of environmental consciousness. As a state agency, we responded by changing all of the light bulbs to more energy efficient halogens, placing motion sensors on our light switches and replacing some of our fleets of cars with flex-fuel vehicles. Because we license more than one million individuals and businesses, we want to provide you, our customer, with some resources and tools to help you get your business “In the Green.”
That’s why we teamed up with the Department of Environmental Protection and created this educational resource center with Web links containing information on eco-friendly techniques you can use to “green” your business. We hope that you will join us in keeping your business “In the Green”— both economically and environmentally — and help Florida lead the way with smart, eco-economic businesses.
- Keep air conditioning thermostats at 78 degrees or higher during summer months.
- Use ceiling fans, which allows for setting the thermostat at a higher temperature.
- Use non-essential appliances, such as clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers during off-peak hours (before noon or after 6 p.m.) Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
- Close drapes and blinds to keep out direct sunlight during hot weather.
- Avoid using evaporative coolers or humidifiers while an air conditioner is running.
- Run swimming pool equipment for the minimum amount of time and during off-peak hours.
- Limit the opening of refrigerators.
- Reduce hot, outdoor air from entering the house and eliminate the loss of cooled air with weather stripping and caulking around windows and doors.
- Clean or replace the air conditioner filter regularly to help it run more effectively.
- Check and clean refrigerator coils regularly, especially during the summer. Dirty coils on the back or bottom of the refrigerator can make it work harder than necessary. See appliance owner's manual for maintenance instructions.
- Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, which can last up to 10 times longer than old-fashioned bulbs, and produce less heat while using only a quarter of the electricity.
- Turn off lights when leaving a room.
- Use task lighting to directly illuminate work areas.
- Install time clocks or photoelectric cells to control interior and exterior lighting.
- Install dimmer or occupancy switches where appropriate to lower energy consumption.
- Insulate the hot water piping from the water heater to the wall or ceiling pipe penetration. Wrap the tank in an insulating blanket if the water heater's energy factor is less than 0.59.
- Reduce use of all non-essential electric appliances, such as dishwashers and clothes dryers, especially during the late afternoon and early evening. Air-dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher's drying cycle.
- Cook outdoors or use a microwave oven and small appliances like a toaster oven and electric skillet to avoid heating up the kitchen and adding moisture to the air. Microwaves use less than half the power of a conventional oven and cook food in about one-fourth the time.
- Plug home electronics, such as computers, TVs and VCRs, into power strips and turn power strips off when equipment is not in use.
- Lower the thermostat on the hot water heater; 115° is comfortable for most uses.
- Leaking electricity from electronics costs Americans about 750 million a yaer for TVs and about 600 million a year for VCRs. To avoid the leaking of electricity, either unplug electronics when not in use, or plug into a power strip that can be switched off.
- Use as little liquid as possible when cooking - surplus water requires more heating and therefore more gas is used than is necessary.
- When cooking, match the burner to the vessel. Use a small vessel on a small burner. A large burner consumes 15 percent more gas.
To find more tips and information about greening your home, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s homepage. The Home Energy Saver Web page will show you how to save energy and save money.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has compiled a very helpful resource for consumers to reduce energy consumption.
- Turn off PCs, monitors, printers, and copiers nightly and on weekends. If unable to switch off the entire computer, turn off the monitor and printer.
- Turn computers, copiers and other office equipment to low-power standby mode when not in use.
- Use laptop computers and ink jet printers since they use 90 percent less energy than desktop and laser printers.
- Implement paper-reducing strategies, such as double-sided printing, re-using paper, and using e-mail instead of sending memos or faxing documents which will not only save energy, but also conserve other resources.
- Connect PCs, monitors, fax machines and computer "peripherals" to one power strip, and then turn off that power strip when not in use.
For more information about greening your business, visit the Department of Energy’s Energy Star for Small Businesses Web page.
Also, check out Earth 911’s “8 Ways to Green Your Office” Web page for even more resources and ideas to Get in the Green. While you’re there, make sure you check out the other “8 Ways” resource pages to green the rest of your life!
If you’re looking for ways to cash into the green movement, go to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Incentives and Laws Web page to see if you qualify for any rebates or tax credits.
If you’re looking for Incentives from the state of Florida, be sure to visit the Database for State Incentives for Renewable and Efficiency.
For those of you who want to be green “inside and out,” be sure to visit the Florida Green Building Coalition’s Home page to find “green” builders, certifying agents and incentives as well as the Florida Homebuilder’s Association’s Green Web page to read more about green construction.
Also, go to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Web page to find out more about the Green Building Rating System.
- Avoid rapid acceleration to reduce fuel consumption.
- Avoid hard braking and sudden stops. Stay alert and anticipate traffic lights, stop signs and merges. Use turn signals. Traffic will move more smoothly which saves fuel for everyone.
- When starting out, shift up to the next gear (manual transmission) as soon as possible without straining the engine.
- Drive more slowly. One study reported that for all vehicles tested there was at least a 20 percent loss in fuel economy as cruising speed was increased from 55 to 75 mph. So, 20 miles per gallon (mpg) at 55 mph becomes 16 mpg or less at 75 mph.
- Remove extra weight from the car—100 extra pounds may cost 1 mpg.
- Avoid using roof racks and remove when not in use.
- Use cruise control on highway trips.
- For any stop lasting more than a minute, shut off the engine rather than letting it idle.
- Avoid warming the engine up before driving; it is not necessary, even in cold weather.
- Do not rev engine before shutting it off; this wastes fuel, dilutes motor oil and leads to excessive wear on engine parts.
- Reduce the use of the air conditioner at low driving speeds. When driving over 40 mph, using the air conditioner costs less fuel than having the windows open.
- Park in the shade or leave the windows slightly open to reduce the need for air conditioning.
- Check tires—an under-inflated tire can decrease fuel economy by 2 percent.
- Refrain from topping off the tank at the gas pumps.
- Replace air and fuel filters regularly as instructed by the vehicle maintenance manual; change air filter more often if driving in dusty conditions.
- Keep engine properly tuned.
- Use API certified "Energy Conserving" motor oil, either conventional or synthetic. Use the service classification and viscosity specified for the vehicle.
- Avoid buying "aggressive" tread tires.
- Determine gasoline mileage periodically. Declining mileage can be an early indicator of mechanical problems or a need for servicing.
- Carpool if possible for traveling to work or for errands.
- Combine errands to reduce the number of trips.
- For shorter errands, consider walking or bicycling.
- Try to take one less car trip per week.
- Consider shorter vacation and recreation trips—learn what's special in nearby nature, culture and history.
Be sure to visit the U.S. D epartment of Energy’s Driving and Car Maintenance page for even more energy conserving tips.