Reducing the impact of operations on the environment is a lofty goal for any business, but good citizenship is, in most cases, an insufficient motivation for sweeping changes at a company that must answer to its shareholders. What makes many sustainability efforts feasible for profit-driven companies is that by pursuing them – especially those that focus on reduced consumption – firms can improve their bottom lines.

Market data and news powerhouse Bloomberg has been engaged in a multi-year effort to enhance company sustainability, including energy efficiency measures in its information technology department that alone have resulted in multi-million dollar savings since 2007.

Bloomberg’s latest sustainability report covers a broad range of steps the company has taken to reduce carbon emissions, waste, and energy consumed, in addition to other environmentally friendly goals. And unsurprisingly, by using less, the company has managed to reduce some of its spending, as well. Overall sustainability measures – not just those limited to energy – have resulted in savings of $43 MM.

Some of these efforts, such as modifications to IT department operations, have been basic but effective. These include putting computer monitors in sleep mode when they are not in use during the day, as well as at night, when they must remain powered on for software updates, and requiring that new computer purchases meet Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star standards. These three small changes have saved a combined 50 million kilowatt hours of electricity, equivalent to around $7.3 MM.

Additional efficiency measures have targeted company facilities. The size of the company’s property holdings – 215 locations globally – heave meant that small steps in lighting and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning have resulted in significant energy savings.

Turning off lights during non-work hours has saved 9 million kWh per year, while adjusting heating, air conditioning and ventilation controls has saved almost 7 million kWh per year. Bloomberg has also installed lighting sensors and more efficient lighting, and now requires that new office developments, refurbishments and expansions meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

Renewables have been an additional area of focus for Bloomberg – both installation of capacity and purchases of renewable energy credits (RECs), which effectively allow companies to purchase renewable energy even if the energy purchased is not ultimately used as the power source for their facilities.

A company facility in Skillman, New Jersey features a 1.8 megawatt photovoltaic solar system, while another Bloomberg building in San Francisco has a 40 kilowatt rooftop solar installation that produces 58,000 kWh per year.

Bloomberg’s renewable generation efforts capture local market advantages. “In the US, the Investment Tax Credit and accelerated depreciation are important financial factors,” a spokesperson told Breaking Energy. ” In New Jersey, the solar renewable energy credit is a big driver for this market, as well as the state RPS [Renewable Portfolio Standard].  California and New Jersey are two of the largest solar markets in the US.”

The company has also been purchasing RECs – Renewable Energy Credits – in sufficient quantities to qualify for the WindMade label, a Vestas-sponsored initiative to inform consumers about where corporations source energy, which requires that a company gets at least 25% of its electricity supply from wind power. “Bloomberg’s US operations achieved WindMade certification by offsetting 58% of its power consumption with wind-based RECs, and a further 25% with biomass.”

Despite these efforts, the company’s energy consumption rose by 11% from 2008 to 2012 as reductions through efficiency were more than offset by rising requirements to fuel company growth. “Growth is driven by head count increases and data center expansion resulting from a broadening customer base and increased product offerings.”