Many business are looking for ways to “go green” by adopting environmentally friendly business practices. Collision shops, which already have to comply with a variety of state and federal environmental regulations, have not always been seen as the most forward-thinking businesses when it comes to the environment. But a number of shop owners across the country found ways – some simple, some quite elaborate – to reduce their impact on the planet, attract eco-conscious customers and save money in the process.

Switch to waterborne paint: The move to waterborne paints is probably the most well-known environmental initiative in the industry right now. Shops in some California markets are mandated to switch to waterborne, but owners in other states have been making the switch in anticipation of eventual state and federal requirements.

At Georgetown Autobody in Ridgefield, Conn., owner Patrick Venus made waterborne part of his new shop, a nearly 9,000-square foot facility that was built from the ground up to be eco-friendly.

Venus’ original building was destroyed in a fire two years ago. He decided his new facility should be as green and efficient as possible, even though that would make the project more expensive.

“If you buy once, you cry once,” he says. “If you build it with the most efficient equipment, the payback is going to be there. The initial expense is tough to absorb, but you get what you pay for. It’s like hard work. It’s going to pay off.

“The choice to go with waterborne was one of the many changes we’re making, since we have the opportunity to start from square one,” he adds. “We always want to duplicate what the factory does, and the factory has gone to water.”

Consider solar power: Taking advantage of solar power for your electricity needs is another option. While some residential installations have not always paid off in the ways that consumers hope, businesses – with big roofs that don’t necessarily have to look pretty – can get a lot more bang for their buck with solar.

Blake Andros, owner of Blake’s Autobody in California, first installed solar panels on his Rohnert Park, Calif., shop nine years ago, and followed that with a smaller installation at his Novato location a few years later (he also has solar panels on his home). In Rohnert Park, Andros estimates he’s saving $1,000 in electricity with his 50,000 kW system, while the Novato location generates a $5,000 yearly savings with a 20,000 kW system.

Those savings came with a cost, though. The first installation cost more than a half-million dollars, but Andros says that through a combination of financing and tax credits, the investment paid off.

“If you borrow 100 percent of the money, the first five years of a 10-year note is easy because you get all the tax credits,” Andros says. “Once you pay off the loan, you have savings for the life of the building.” Andros also received federal and state tax credits, as well as credits from utility provider Pacific Gas & Electric.

Andros has only installed solar panels on two of his four shops. “Solar doesn’t work for everybody,” he says. “If you own the building and get good sun exposure, it’s a good idea. If you’re underneath a bunch of trees, you don’t go with solar.”

Andros recommends installing a system that can provide up to 90 percent of your electricity needs (provided the roof can handle it), and that if you think your roof might need replacing in the next few years, to tackle that project before installing the panels.

“As long as you have good sun exposure, I think everyone should have solar on their roof,” Andros says. “It may not be the greatest business deal you’ll ever do, but it’s a good one. More important than that, it’s the cleanest electricity made on earth.”

Andros’ shops also recirculate their spray booth air (he currently uses SprayBake systems) so that the heating system doesn’t have to work so hard to reach the correct baking temperature. “That’s lowered our gas and electrical costs,” he says.

Turn up the (radiant) heat: Heating a body shop, particularly in colder climates, can be an expensive proposition given increases in the cost of electricity and natural gas. All of the shops interviewed for this story also utilize radiant floor heating systems that pump warm water through tubes embedded in the shop floor. These systems are more efficient than air-blown heat, and provide warm work surfaces for the vehicles and the technicians. “If you open the bay door and move a car out or in, the recovery of that heat does not take long at all,” Venus says.

Reduce, reuse, recycle: A simple way to improve a shop’s green footprint, and even make some money, is to recycle cardboard and scrap metal. Moody’s Collision Centers, a four-shop operation in southern Maine, always has seen recycling as an important part of its business since the company used to own an auto recycling operation (it was sold to LKQ in the 1990s). Owner Shawn Moody’s enthusiasm for the concept has continued at his body shops.

All four shops can burn waste oil in specially designed boilers that run the radiant heat systems, for instance. The shops also recycle all of their scrap metal, batteries and cardboard using local recycling providers. “They give us a sealed storage container that we keep inside, and when we fill it up, they haul it away,” Moody says. “We get paid for it. The only thing we don’t get paid for is anti-freeze, which we have to pay to have removed. But it gets recycled, too.”

Install energy-efficient equipment: If you can afford the capital investment, installing new, more energy-efficient spray booth equipment and compressors can make a big difference in your energy consumption and utility bills. The new Georgetown Autobody (scheduled to open on June 1) includes a Global Finishing Solutions Ultra Plus 1 spray booth with cure towers that can bake a car in 12 minutes. The booth uses variable frequency drives on the intake and exhaust motors that “sound like a helicopter starting up,” Venus says. “It shifts gears, and you hear it going into second and third. If the painter hasn’t pulled the trigger in three minutes, it ramps back down to first, which saves gas and electricity.”

Venus also has installed an energy-efficient compressor, as has Blake’s Autobody. Andros says he has installed new Ingersoll Rand screw compressors that, while more expensive, use significantly less electricity.

Moody’s uses air compressors and spray equipment (from USI Italia and Jun-Air) with variable frequency drive motors, which lower energy consumption by 25 percent.

Turn down the lights: If your lighting fixtures are more than a few years old, chances are you might benefit from switching them out with more efficient models. This can be pricey, but in some cases local utilities or state governments provide assistance to businesses that make the change. In California, for instance, Pacific Gas & Electric has an auditing program to help business install new lights.

Venus installed four-foot T5 fluorescent lights at Georgetown Autobody that have heavy mirrors in the fixtures. “The reflection is just unbelievable,” he says, “It’s like a stadium inside the shop.”

Moody also uses T5 lighting. “We went from 104 fixtures of the old lighting to 50 fixtures,” Moody says. “And we’re getting more light. It’s remarkable.”

In sunny locations, skylights also can help brighten up the shop without the need for electricity. And remember, your lights don’t have to be on all the time. Encourage employees to turn off the lights in areas of the shop where no work is being done. “Just shutting off the lights at break or during lunch really adds up,” Moody says.

Involving employees is another key part of any green effort. Solicit their input on ways to save water or cut utility bills, and ask them to participate in any shop recycling programs. They should also be trained on state and federal environmental regulations, so that they properly handle disposal of potentially hazardous materials.

All of the owners interviewed for this story emphasized that “going green” doesn’t have to be a huge cost to your operation. Federal and state tax rebates for using energy-efficient equipment and lighting can provide real savings to your business. “On our last shop in Portland, which opened last fall, between the lighting the air compressor and the spray booth equipment, we got close to $40,000 back in rebates,” Moody says. “It’s pretty incredible.”

New approaches to heating, lighting and running your shop also can save you real money month-to-month on utilities. Combined with more efficient operating procedures (Georgetown, for instance, was designed with lean production principles in mind), a “green” shop can put more green in your pocket, as well.

“The message should really be that there is a lot of money to be saved,” Moody says. “There is a perception out there that when you look out for the environment, it will just cost you money. But it’s really just the contrary.”