Go green and save home business cashI cheerfully admit to being green and mean, and today’s guest post aims to save you both energy and cash:

If you operate a business from your home, there’s a good chance that you have a small budget. There is also a good chance that you could be doing yourself a financial favour by reducing the amount of energy that you’re using in an effort to go green and get the most out of that budget.

These three tried and true methods can help you get started:

1. Know when to shut down. One of the trickiest aspects of having a home business is knowing when it’s time to work and when it’s time to call it a day. Many home business owners see it as a benefit that they can drop into the office whenever they want, but keeping all of your computer equipment on all the time can really be a drain on your electricity. Save money by turning all the equipment completely off at the end of the work day and even unplugging it to prevent power loads. This will also help you reinforce your own time to rest and unwind from work.

2. Utilise your inbox. You could save in several areas of your budget, including printing, paper, and electricity, if you skip the paper copies and use your email to organise all of your documents. Email is quickly becoming most people’s primary mode of communication, and going paperless can actually help you work more efficiently by putting all of your documents within reach at the click of a button. You will also curb your contributions to landfills in the form of discarded ink cartridges.

3. Save on gas and electricity prices. Since you’re already on a conservation kick, see if you can save even more money on energy by finding a cheaper supplier. Especially since the Big Six have raised their prices yet again, many smaller energy providers are ramping up their ability to compete by lowering their own prices. A site like uSwitch can be useful in comparing prices and finding out if it would be worth it to switch your energy supplier for your home and business.

Find out how a swap to green energy can benefit your home business