How many blogs about sustainability have you read that tell you to change all your lights to LED?
All of them, right? Yeah, absolutely, if you have a few thousand dollars spare to change out every light in the salon, go ahead; you will see your energy bill plummet. But for most salons, swapping over is a gradual process, one bulb at a time unless done as a full refit. And that’s cool. But while you go through that process, you can also introduce other changes that will reduce your carbon footprint, reduce energy and water use as well as save you money.
Saving water means saving energy
Finding ways to reduce all that lovely, expensive, hot water being poured down the basin will have a greater impact than any LED light, because you will be saving on two fronts: water and energy. Actually, it could even be three fronts: color.
The first step is to constantly monitor water use and leakages. A dripping tap can cost you dear so make a habit of checking up every few weeks or so and acting upon your findings. Second step, is cutting color waste to save you money. Vish color technology has proven that most salons dispense way too much color, which takes way too much water to rinse away. Hence, the three savings: water, energy and color. 
Courtesy of Vish
Installing ECOHEADS showerheads is another way to save water (it also increases pressure, which clients LOVE). Hot water costs with a traditional showerhead are roughly $3 per basin per day, more than $1,000 a year. For just one basin. ECOHEADS will cut that by about 65 percent. That’s a lot of saved water and energy and dollars. And with clients loving the feel of boosted pressure, you’ve got a great way in to discuss your water-saving initiative.
Pick your champions
There are many other quick fixes similar to Vish and ECOHEADS, but you may find the biggest hurdle is getting everyone on board. The perfect way to push through any reluctance is for one person or a small group to become the salon’s eco champions.
Shop till the bills drop
While loyalty is important to any salon business, when it comes to YOUR loyalty to a supplier, put yourself first. Always shop around to see if you can get a better deal on your energy or water supply; they are out there.
Dial it down
You’ll be amazed at how little difference turning your thermostat down one degree will make to comfort levels in the salon, but it will make a massive difference to your energy costs. Take the same approach with your AC; just a notch or two will save you big.
Pick your moment to flick the switch
So you have quite a lot of towels that need washing, but do they need to be washed right away or can they wait for your machine to be full? If not the latter, investing in more towels so you can delay laundering until you have a full load will save you money. Easy. Or easier still, convert to eco disposable towels that will save all the water, energy and time gobbled by your twin dinosaurs–the washing machine and dryer. And while you are at it, make sure everyone starts turning things off at the plug–it really does save energy.
Fit out with green in mind
With nearly 90 percent of clients now pondering sustainability in their salon, it’s becoming increasingly important to show real change rather than just green wash, so if you are going for a refit consider green innovations at the design stage. Better lighting, a new water system and modern plumbing are all fundamental changes to decide on early. Yes, and now would be the time to bring on those LEDs.
