Between keeping customers happy and balancing the books, the electric bill is usually the last thing on a small business owners’ mind. Until it arrives each month, that is.

There’s little you can do about it if you use manufacturing equipment, for instance. But your PCs can help lessen your overall energy use with a little work. In my first feature for Small Business Computing (yay!), I outline some easy steps that any small business can take toward sustainability — whether you have IT pros on staff or not.

Why bother? Because a green business attracts a certain type of customer:

A recent Harris Interactive survey conducted for Tork, a maker of hygiene products, found that 82 percent of American adults claim to be well informed about companies and brands with a strong track record for sustainability.

What’s more, 80 percent of those consumers let that knowledge guide their purchasing decisions.

Click here to read how EPEAT and cloud computing services can help your business go green and take the a little bit of the sting out of your next bill from the power company.

Image Credit: Flickr user swanksalot – CC