Garrett MacLean

Liz Blondy of Canine to Five couldn't afford an $80,000 green roof, but she did find other solutions that will help her save money and reduce energy consumption. View larger photo

Liz Blondy’s Canine to Five has fared well in the past four years. The Detroit doggy day care’s business has more than tripled, from nine dogs per day in 2005 to 31 in 2008, and revenue has grown accordingly.

Blondy grossed about $240,000 last year.

Now she wants to go green.

Her first goal was to replace the Cass Avenue building’s aging roof with a green roof, but her research indicated that it would cost about $80,000 for the 5,700-square-foot building, a price tag outside Blondy’s means.

“While I want a green roof, I can’t afford it,” she said. “But no matter what, I have to replace my roof.”

Undeterred, Blondy began to investigate other green modifications she can make to the building and to her work space, and is finding a host of solutions that can save money and reduce her carbon footprint — on her small- business budget.

Blondy’s not the only business owner whose green plans stall when confronted with a hefty price tag, said Joseph Vig, principal in Taylor-based J.S. Vig Construction Co., a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.

But unlike Blondy, many don’t realize there are more cost-effective ways to go green, he said.

“The building industry and environmentalists are so focused on benchmark standards like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications, and they’re great ideals people should shoot for,” Vig said. “But there’s a big segment of the population that gets alienated by the high price tags. People think, ‘I can either have a LEED-certified building or I can do nothing.’ “

In Blondy’s case, a green roof is out of the equation.

But at $19,000, a PVC “white roof” or “cool roof” that eliminates heat islands and forms a more energy-efficient envelope is within reach.

Cool roofs, Vig said, are comparable in cost to a standard commercial roof, while a green roof averages $15-$20 per square foot, not including any structural adaptations needed to support the heavier weight of a living roof.

“On a comparative basis, you’re looking at $3 to $4 a square foot for (the roofing product most commonly used in the Michigan market),” he said. “And you might say $5 a square foot for your cool roof.”

A cool roof, Vig said, decreases the ambient heat around a building and makes the building more energy efficient in terms of heating and cooling. The cool roof meets LEED standards, but doesn’t allow for the storm water filtration that a green roof can accommodate.

Other environmental changes Blondy is pursuing, including replacing the fluorescent lights in her building with more efficient models, should also have an environmental and cost-savings payoff, Vig said.

“Re-lamping the building is a really simple strategy for going green,” he said. “Everyone talks about compact fluorescent fixtures. Look at not only the energy they burn but the energy savings, when using a compact or LED fixture. But the advantage of re-lamping a building is a very significant thing environmentally. Lowering your energy bill and having significant environmental impacts with using LEDs or light fluorescents doesn’t require changing fixtures.”

Going a step further and replacing fixtures, he said, may not be as cost prohibitive as some business owners think. Figure about $50 to $250 per fixture.

And, he notes, such replacements need not be done at one time.

Blondy also plans to add skylights or enlarge windows to use more natural light in the building, a practice called daylighting.

Vig cautions that daylighting can become costly. It’s important not to skimp on window quality. Most heat loss occurs through windows.

“If you’re a business owner, if you can reduce the amount of heat transfer, you can have a more energy-efficient building, or you can justify paying more for a premium window based on your energy savings,” he said.

“Windows should be toward the top of the ( green) list, recognizing that it’s an expensive thing to do, but there can be a quick payback in terms of energy consumption to heat and cool the building.”

Other green solutions are less glamorous, and can range from really cheap — including putting a barrel or cistern below a downspout to reclaim roof rainwater for landscaping, installing lighting timers or rain sensors on sprinklers — to moderately priced, such as dual-flush toilets that use different amounts of water to dispose of liquids or solids, Vig said.

One important piece of the green equation is missing, Vig said — state or local incentives for small- business owners to implement green upgrades.

“For a small- business owner, it’s a lot more challenging. If you own a 25,000-square-foot office or industrial building, there are not a lot of programs out there … there are people who recognize there are things that can be done short of the benchmark standards, and it’s crazy that public policy doesn’t incentivize small business to do this stuff.”