But you already knew that. What you didn’t know was that for the longest time, buildings have been running on oil and coal as a source of energy when there’s a clear and far greener alternative brewing in Canada: renewable energy. More than the idea of green construction, greening your buildings also means using sustainable green energy alternatives.
Although green energy alternatives such as wind and solar power are not heavily supported by the government, you can take initiative and have an energy-efficient commercial building.
One way for you to do this is by buying green electricity-a practice that is increasingly becoming popular in Canada.
Buying green electricity is a simple process. You simply let a green electricity provider inject electricity from renewable energy resources like wind energy to your regional grid. You don’t even have to buy special equipment: your commercial building’s electricity will continue to use the grid you have always used-only this time, the electricity comes from a renewable source of energy.
How does the purchase of green electricity help strengthen your brand? A 2007 survey by Bullfrog Power showed that more than 60% of Canadians are more likely to support companies that commit to green policies. What this shows is that beyond the products and services of a business, the ethics and principles are also a major consideration-specifically in relation to green construction.
Another benefit of switching to your business is that you get to decrease the emission of greenhouse gases. Conventional electricity sources such as coal and oil are among the primary contributors to air pollution and land pollution. With green power, your business gets to claim that it has, as a matter of fact, reduced greenhouse emissions and air pollutants in the environment. This is usually a claim that the green electricity provider is willing to back up.
One such example of a green electricity provider is Bullfrog Power. A relatively new company, it has been able to supplement green construction by providing green electricity. The choice of greening your steel buildings is totally up to you: should you decide to include it in your building construction, then include it in your estimation of costs.