To the Heart of Energy Decision Making

As a sustainability consultant, one of the first questions we ask prospective clients is: “What is driving business sustainability in your organization?” The answer to this question varies across companies and industries.

According to a recent Aberdeen Group study, The ROI of Sustainability: Making the Business Case, top performing organizations view sustainability as a "must have" strategy for long term business viability and success. While the top drivers for business sustainability implementation identified by the study included social and environmental stewardship, discussions around energy management primarily focus on costs.

In an Environmental Leader article, ‘Saving Money, Not Environment, the Biggest Reason to Reduce Electricity’, 72 percent of the public said they would reduce electricity consumption to lower their bills or control costs.

For the most part, energy management strategies equate to lower bills. By reducing consumption through active management and behavior change, you are by default decreasing the dial turns on the meter. However, there is another major component of energy decision making that warrants consideration.

The Shelton Group’s Green Living Pulse reports that nearly half of people believe that conventional electricity production puts carbon dioxide and harmful chemicals into the air. With most major electric providers offering source options, energy management offers the opportunity to allocate dollars to cleaner generation. While source decisions have the most dramatic impact, they currently come at with a higher price tag.

At Taiga Company, we believe in creating a case for sustainability by identifying the drivers that inspire you to take action. Our professional consulting works directly with clients to define specific sustainability concepts that match specific value drivers.