By Erin Noha

With the energy produced from our solar panels in May, we offset 2,079 pounds of carbon dioxide—the equivalent of 24 trees or enough energy to power 130 homes in the Pacific NW—and ultimately saved $300 to $400 this month on our energy bill.

“There are lots of ways to save money and energy. All you have to do is think about it,” said Miles Berry, Retired Facilities Director for Salon Services, who helped install the panels but credits his wife Sydney, the “passion queen,” as the catalyst for the project.

By growing our sustainability initiatives and keeping it on the forefront, we hope to inspire salons and stylists to think outside the box (both inside your salon and out) to save some bucks and save the planet.

“We want to be an example and set an example. Our customers and a salon’s customers want to do business with a company that thinks like them.”

Mega-WHAT? A Little History of Our Solar Panel Project

We installed the first two phases of solar panels in 2009 and 2010 with an opportunity to add a third phase of panels in the future. Currently, we have 168 panels on the flat roof of our corporate building at a 15-degree tilt to take in the most optimal amount of daylight, both in the summer and winter months.

“We wanted to do something that made some sense. A lot of people were interested in what we did and wanted to know how to do it.”

More people are able to purchase solar panels now because the costs have gone down, Berry said. With government and state incentives like tax credits and yearly reimbursements, it’s a win-win situation. For Salon Services, the system will pay for itself in about six years!

“When you look at solar in the Pacific NW, you’re looking at a relatively good return on your investment because six months out of the year, it gets more average daylight than most other parts of the U.S.—that has to do with us being further north.”

Our roof consists of 168 panels with built-in inverters that convert DC to AC. The solar panels are tied to one meter, which actually spins backward if it’s creating more kilowatts than we’re using. The meter runs forward in the warehouse based on usage and is also what makes the other meter run backward, depending on how much we’re using versus generating.

Sustainability Initiatives at Salon Services

The panels project is just one of the ways Salon Services is reducing its environmental footprint. Our company replaced all the bulbs in the building with 25-year LED lights, saving a total of $400 to $500 a month alone.

We also reuse the manufacturer boxes for shipping purposes (the boxes fit the product anyway!) and try to use as much recycled packing material as we can—what we ultimately dispose of is always recycled. We participate in pallet stack maximizing so we ship fewer skids and reduce our carbon footprint.
What We Hope for the Future

Even if it’s not a solar project (because some salons rent their buildings), there are many ways—big and small—to save money and energy if you just take time to think about it.

“Try to make the best opportunity of it that you can. Get creative about what you can do to save money. There’s so much than be done and so much wasted in salons.”

It’s not just thinking about what you can do inside your salon, either— it’s about thinking globally. It’s a movement and a culture that salons have to stand behind.

“I think it’s everybody’s responsibility to take a look at what they can do. It’s just bringing up the question: What have you done lately and what can you do?”

Let us help you conserve inside and outside your salon! Contact your Salon Services Sales Representative for more ideas and visit Green Circle Salons online to find other ways to “green” your salon business.

Erin Noha covers stories for Salon Services.