Go Green WIth Your Self-Storage

No matter what you think of Al Gore, there’s one big benefit from implanting a little “green” into your self-storage operation – saving money! Going green can cut your energy bills and supply costs and, what the hey, if you help the environment out along the way, that’s not such a bad thing, right? 

The easiest way to go green is just change your facility’s light bulbs from traditional light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs for short. These are the cool-looking spiral models you’ve spotted in the stores by now. They give off the same amount of light, but use less power, have a lot longer life and they give off far less greenhouse gases. The bulbs cost more to begin with, but quickly make up for it in what you’ll save both in energy bills and in replacement bulbs.

Another great green strategy is to be as “paperless” as possible. Try to print on both sides of a paper – if you do double-sided self-storage contracts, that alone will save a huge amount. Also, try to purchase recycled paper products and do all your bookkeeping and record-keeping electronically on your PC (and remember to back up that data regularly!).

And speaking of computers, that’s another big area where you can up your green credentials. When you’re done for the day, turn off computers and printers and shut off the power strip so no “standby power” features are still humming – and costing you money! Set up the PC on hibernate when you’re not using it and make sure whatever electronic equipment you buy is as energy-efficient as possible. And be sure to recycle your old computers and peripherals – you could get a tax deduction out of it.

Finally, when you’re looking to add on to your existing facility or just remodel, use sustainable products, such as low-VOC paint, CFL lighting, low-flow toilets, eco-flooring, etc. Again, most of these products will end up saving you money in the long run – and advertising your self-storage business as being “earth-friendly” is a good marketing move these days