While companies are looking for ways to pinch pennies in every corner of their business, some are slated to save as much as $15 billion by using green energy. Sustainable technology has the dual impact of acting as a selling point and actually doing good for the environment. Just about every industry could be using some kind of green technology in their day to day practices.

If you’re in manufacturing, it might be challenging to rebuild your entire facility’s HVAC or energy system. Adding some supplemental solar panels or external elements could start to bring down your energy costs quickly.

To learn more about the benefits of using green technologies in your company, check out these 4 ways sustainability could benefit you.

1. Getting More Energy For Less

Green energy is allowing businesses of any size in every industry get more bang for their buck. Whether you’re talking about the carbon footprint that your business was leaving a decade ago or how high your utility bill is, you’ll be getting more for less.

Renewable and alternative energy production techniques can allow businesses to produce excess energy that could go back into the grid. By using green building materials, you could even lower your spending on heating and cooling costs throughout the year.

Check out how far early and inefficient motors have come in the last few decades.

2. Better Water Practices

By recycling water, lots of industrial companies are able to turn used overflow from one source to produce in the next. By installing a desalination system, companies that are near a saltwater source are able to turn nearby water into a potable source.

Green technology also includes rain collection or recirculation of water. If you can filter out sinks that are used for non-toxic cleaning, that water could then be used to irrigate your exterior garden.

3. Pollution Control

One of the major tenets of using renewable energy sources is that you can eliminate excess waste and pollution. By using naturally derived or recycled materials, your waste will have a much lower impact than if you weren’t using recycled materials.

Switching from toxic chemicals to more natural products will also allow your company to avoid any environmental issues. A leakage that is connected to your facility could cause a major hoopla with nearby activists. Your best bet is to stick with renewable resources.

4. Green Design Goes a Long Way

The architectural or design decisions that you make for your building will go a long way in changing the impact your company has on the environment. A green roof, covered with plants and greenery could help to lower energy costs and to reduce CO2 in the area.

Check out this guide for more information on green roofs.

Green Technology Brings Costs Down

If you’re thinking green technology might cost more than traditional fossil fuels or non-sustainable alternatives, you’re not thinking far enough ahead. When you’ren using something like solar power that can generate electricity and sell it back to the grid, the initial installation costs will pay themselves off quickly.

If you want to get an idea of how green technology can help your business, check out this timeline of how motor power has gone from gas, to steam, to sun.