Money Does Grow on Trees

There has been a sociological shift in the United States to become more environmentally savvy and respect the earth’s resources. Individuals have undertaken recycling initiatives, and water and energy cutbacks at home, but the corporate duty is still necessary.

Environmentally conscious practices are becoming more commonplace in the everyday workforce; however, the move is still a slow one in the electronic security industry.

According to a McGraw-Hill Construction Research & Analytics report released by Siemens Building Technologies Inc. (SBT), the largest driving factor for constructing green buildings in corporate America is increasing energy costs, which was cited by an overwhelming 75 percent of the survey’s participants. The second driver was government regulations and tax incentives at 40 percent, followed by global influences at 26 percent.

The security industry is following a similar path. According to a new nationwide “green” survey conducted by SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION, 74 percent of the 133 respondents believe the industry as a whole will move toward greener practices; however, that move will be a sluggish one.

SSI’s survey respondents identified several reasons for not “going green,” including lack of resources, education and time to implement such practices. One in five survey participants say they do not follow the green movement because they do not agree with the “hype.” Nevertheless, those who have implemented recycling programs and other eco-friendly initiatives have seen some extra green for going green.

This article will show you how to save more while spending less. Recycling will not only fulfill your environmental duty, but it can also bring money back into the business. Simple changes like installing green lighting fixtures can lower your utility bills. Educate yourself so you can teach your customers about the most cost-effective products that offer them energy savings and superb security.

Lighting the Way to Cost Savings

According to SSI‘s survey, the majority of respondents (67 percent) say green practices and products have not impacted their bottom line. By the same token, 76 percent say their customers are not requesting more energy-efficient products. However, only 7 percent of respondents say they are offering more green installations as part of their eco-friendly initiatives. Integrators need to make themselves more aware of available green products so they can intelligently present other options to their clients.

According to Willam Ryan, product manager for Bosch Security Systems, educating the customer is a fundamental necessity.

“We try to educate our [end-user] customers on changes they can make to conserve energy while still maintaining the level of security required for their application. For example, companies using traditional lighting to provide enough visible light for CCTV surveillance probably have little idea of how much power is consumed by lighting alone,” Ryan says.

Taking advantage of LED-based lighting fixtures for CCTV consumes considerably less energy – between 25 to 95 watts per fixture opposed to a typical 200-1,000 watts per fixture. Additionally, states such as Arizona, Maine and Texas have instituted laws to regulate the usage of visible light for security and other applications. The restrictions are intended to reduce light pollution in both urban and suburban areas.

“We’ve been helping integrators become familiar with LED illumination and the business opportunities it presents,” Ryan says. “Now they can go back to their customers and offer them opportunity to save energy costs while maintaining the same level of security.”