Whether you are an employee or the owner of one, going greener can help save your company money while still reducing its environmental impact on the world around us. In the last couple of years, the U.S. government has been actively encouraging businesses to adopt green practices, which often translate into better employee benefits and more favorable working conditions. In particular, this includes encouraging companies to incorporate more efficient and environmentally-friendly technology within their own buildings and offering green training for their employees.
Business Energy Tax Credit
In 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced the Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC), which allows businesses that choose to take advantage of it to offset the costs associated with implementing eco-friendly practices. This was a major victory for business owners who want to work toward making their facilities as “green” as possible, and who have previously been limited to only tax benefits available to small businesses.
Reducing the amount of fossil fuels
While these benefits can be a great way to encourage your staff and your customers to go green, there are also several other factors that will affect whether or not you can qualify for green financing. Many of these factors depend on your business’s specific needs and its overall efficiency. However, regardless of what factors you consider, it is important to remember that green technology can also make a tremendous difference in how much energy you use. By reducing the amount of fossil fuels that your business uses, you are taking a step towards a healthier environment and helping to ensure that you are a better employer overall.
The first consideration in deciding whether or not you qualify for a green tax credit is whether or not you have a small business. You must, therefore, determine whether you have a home office, a warehouse, or other location where you regularly use electric appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers. If you do, you may be able to obtain up to 30% of your company’s electric usage as a tax deduction each year, making it even more valuable to take a look at the tax incentives offered by both the U.S. government and various other countries.
Green technology for homes
Green technology for homes is also beneficial to those employers who work out of their homes. By replacing traditional furnaces and air conditioning units with ones that run on natural gas or clean energy sources, businesses can keep their carbon emissions down and reduce their overall energy costs. Even if you use traditional heating sources, such as wood stoves and fireplaces, installing solar panels or even wind turbines on your property can dramatically cut down on your annual energy consumption and lower the amount of fossil fuels you have to purchase. to run them.
The second factor that will determine whether you qualify for a green tax credit is your business’s overall efficiency. This means determining what the average annual energy consumption in your facility is, as well as the number of employees working in it. This can include things like the number of computers that are running on battery power, or the amount of heating and cooling systems that are operating. Additionally, consider any systems that have the potential of producing waste that you have.
Natural gas or electricity
For instance, if you use a lot of natural gas or electricity, you should check to see if you qualify for a green tax credit for your fuel efficiency efforts. This includes reducing the amount of petroleum and gas you use to run your facility. This includes running heavy equipment like construction machinery or even electrical equipment like elevators, while increasing the number of air-con rooms and ensuring that you are using solar sources whenever possible.
Finally, consider the number of employees you employ, as this is the third thing you’ll need to consider when determining if you are eligible for a green credit. With that information, you can then make sure that your facilities are efficient enough to qualify for a tax credit, helping you save money on your utility bill each and every year.
