Could your veterinary practice be more green ?

INTERESTING COLOUR, GREEN, given its association with money, envy, gullibility and environmentalism. The latter, according to cynics, neatly incorporates the first three. But cynics tend to be wrong and there is no doubt that the population at large is treating green issues more seriously.

Global warming, melting glaciers and holes in the ozone layer are causing concern and, whatever they and the pundits think is the cause, people want to do something positive to help.

You’d be shocked to be told that you’re in a dirty business, but it’s probably true. Business owners generally think that you can’t make the omelette called growth without cracking some ecological eggs. In practice, you can make your business greener and more profitable at the same time, often at minimal or zero cost.

Recognise that environmental issues are now firmly mainstream. Most businesses, especially the bigger ones, have environmental policies to which they pay more than lip-service. They do this not because the board of directors wear sandals and hand-knits, but because it’s good business: they perceive that their customers expect them to be environmentally responsible or they’ll buy somewhere else.

Consider that the fastestgrowing sector in the unit trusts world is ethical funds; John T Public is likewise not just paying lip- lipservice, but is quite literally putting his money where his mouth is. Greening your business is, therefore, about something far more bankable than a warm feeling in the gut. Even if your strong suspicion is that your customers couldn’t give a tinker’s cuss whether your business is ecologically sound, the issue demands attention because it has a direct impact on profits.

Bottom line
This, indeed, is the green good news for all businesses: doing your bit on energy savings will save you a lot of money, money that will go straight into the bottom line. The Carbon Trust says that 20 per cent energy savings are easily achieved by most UK businesses, equivalent for many to a five per cent increase in sales.

So, start with the Carbon Trust’s website (www.carbontrust.co.uk), or its Energy Efficiency Helpline (0800 085 2005). Helpline advisors are experienced enough to deal with enquiries ranging from straightforward requests for information, to in-depth technical questions about specific technologies. Calls are free and the website includes fact sheets that offer sector-specific guidance and an action plan to help you create a tailored programme.

There’s more, starting with money. Energy Efficiency Loans from £5,000 to £100,000 for replacing existing equipment with energy-efficient versions are interest free (yes, zero per cent). Eligibility requires that you save at least £1,000 per year on energy use.

You could have an energy survey completed by a specialist consultant. He would produce a practical action plan to identify energy-saving opportunities and how these savings can be achieved. Recommendations include many no, or low, cost actions that pay for themselves immediately or within a few months. Surveys are subject to availability and eligibility, but are usually free. Then, there’s the Energy Technology List, which is managed by the Carbon Trust and includes some 6,000 products that meet its energy-saving criteria.

Tax allowances
Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs) allow businesses to buy energy-efficient equipment using a 100 per cent rate of tax allowance in the year of purchase.

Products bought under this provision must feature on the Energy Technology List (see above). Claiming follows the same procedure as for any capital allowance. Bring it up next time you talk to your accountant.

Vehicles are notably famous as a big creator of carbon – three tones a year for an average car doing 10,000 miles at 35mpg. Happily, most businesses are tough on this already, but could probably reduce costs and emissions still further.

Think diesel, LPG and dual-fuel. Also think cruise – not Tom, but cruise control. Most new cars have it but it is dramatically underused by British drivers. If you or your staff are among this group, just try it or ask the dealer for a short lesson.

Staff commute
Next up is the daily staff commute, which can generate a lot of carbon. While veterinary practices don’t lend themselves to staff working from home, there is still something you can do to reduce the amount of carbon generated. The website Liftshare.com offers a route for staff to cut their commuting costs.

MD Ally Clabburn says that the employer saves the dead-money cost of any parking spaces and a typical user saves £1,000 and a tonne of carbon per year – that’s as good as a pay rise. Using the site is free, although it charges businesses to set up their own schemes as part of the green transport plans all businesses employing more than 50 people need.

Customers
Ah, but can being green help you pick up new customers? The evidence increasingly says yes. A British Gas survey last year revealed that 30 per cent of us prefer to buy from environmentally responsible businesses. Marks & Spencer has committed some £200m to becoming carbon neutral by 2012.

Would you pay more for a green option? Sounds like a daft question, doesn’t it? It may not be. Take buying your electricity from Good Energy, which supplies power only from renewable resources (for example, wind farms). Typically, it costs 10 per cent more than standard sources. This would advance your business’s ability to become carbon neutral, which would give you a distinct point of difference in the market. If your locality has a reputation for environmental enthusiasm, that might prove a key selling benefit.

Top tips

• Turning down the heating by just one degree saves eight to 10 per cent on the annual heating bill.
• Reduce heating in areas needing less warmth, like store rooms and heavy physical work areas, as well as during holidays, weekends or when the building is empty.
• Keep windows closed while heating or air conditioning is on.
• Most office equipment, including PCs, monitors, faxes and printers, will have energy-saving features. These sometimes need to be manually activated.
• Always switch monitors off when not in use. They account for almost half of a computer’s energy use.
• Make use of natural daylight where possible. It costs nothing and can reduce lighting bills by up to 19 per cent.
• Energy-saving light bulbs use 75 per cent less electricity than standard bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
• Label light switches so that only what needs lighting gets lit.
• Encourage staff to turn off lights whenever and wherever they are not needed. Businesses can save up to 15 per cent on their bills by implementing this simple measure.
• Check your meters regularly to see how much electricity, gas and oil is being used and check bills relate to what you actually use, rather than an estimate.
• Involve staff in energy saving: it’s everybody’s job. Put some, or all, of the savings into a staff incentive scheme.
• Set targets and include energy costs in management assessment.

• Fluorescent tubes don’t consume all their power at switch-on – just a few seconds’ worth, so switch them off when leaving a room.
• An extractor fan running unnecessarily does have an impact; it can lead to heat loss, such that the heating boiler’s fuel consumption rises five per cent.
• Your boilers don’t need to be on all year round; for summer use, a small one dedicated to hot water is all that’s needed.
• Switching air-conditioning to maximum is not efficient use. It can cool a space so much that the heating cuts in.
• Customers don’t need higher in-clinic temperatures in winter – they’re wearing coats. Staff may need warmer uniforms, for example sweatshirts, to compensate.
• You don’t need heating to stay on until closing time. It can be progressively reduced – or switched off – towards the end of trading.