Skip to main content
  • 844.873.4948
  • English

    Europe

    • Français
    • Deutsch
    • English
    • Nederlands

    North America

    • English
    • Español
    • Français
  • Sign In / Register
United RentalsHome

Main navigation

  • Rent
    • All Equipment
    • Popular Rentals
    • Scissor Lifts
    • Boom Lifts
    • Telehandlers
    • Mini Excavators
    • Skid Steers & Track Loaders
    • Rental Resources
    • Rental Protection Plan (RPP)
  • Buy
    • All Used Equipment
    • Popular Used Equipment
    • Buy Forklifts
    • Buy Scissor Lifts
    • Buy Boom Lifts
    • Buy Mini Excavators
    • Buy Compressors
    • Buying Resources
    • Financing
    • United Guard™
  • Total Control
    • Account Dashboard
    • Invoices & Payments
    • Items On Rent
    • UR Mobile App
  • Invoices & Payments
    • Invoices
    • Lien releases
    • Apply for credit
  • Locations
    • Find a Location
  • Training
    • Course Catalog
    • Training Credentials
    • United Academy
    • About United Academy
    • Care & Support
    • United Academy - Course Catalog
  • Solutions
    • Worksite Perfomance Solutions
    • Specialty Solutions
      • Ground Protection Matting Solutions
      • Commercial Trucks
      • Flooring & Facility Solutions
      • Power & HVAC
      • Climate Solutions
      • Fluid Solutions
      • Trench Safety
      • Reliable Onsite Services
      • Tool Solutions
      • Storage Containers & Mobile Offices
      • Communications
      • Industrial Blinds
    • Power & HVAC
    • Climate Solutions
    • Fluid Solutions
    • Trench Safety
    • Reliable Onsite Services
    • Tool Solutions
    • Storage Containers & Mobile Offices
    • Commercial Trucks
    • Flooring & Facility Solutions
    • Ground Protection Matting Solutions
    • Industry Solutions
      • Power Generation & Distribution
      • Chemical
      • Oil & Gas Refining
      • Oilfield Services
      • Civil and Infrastructure
      • Restoration and Remediation
      • Government Solutions
      • Agriculture
    • Power Gen. & Distribution
    • Data Centers
    • Renewable Energy
    • Chemical
    • Oil & Gas Refining
    • Oilfield Services
    • Restoration & Remediation
    • Civil & Infrastructure
    • Government Solutions
    • Emergency Solutions
    • Emergency Response
  • Services
    • Digital Solutions
    • Total Control®
    • Mobile App
    • Notifications
    • Benchmarking
    • Wedge
    • Downloadable Catalogs
    • Repair & Maintenance Services
    • Owned Equipment Service
    • Rental Equipment Service
    • Training Services
    • United Academy
  • Safety
    • Safety Commitment
    • Safety Training
    • Safety Articles
  • Company
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Our Culture
      • Board of Directors
      • Corporate Leadership
      • Mission & Values
      • Sponsorships & Partnerships
      • Awards & Recognition
      • Corporate Responsibility Report
      • Small Businesses
      • Project Uptime
    • Investor Relations
      • Annual Report
      • Reports & Proxy Statements
      • Corporate Governance
      • Investor Press Releases
      • Investor Events, Calls & Presentations
      • Research Coverage
      • SEC Filings
    • Sustainability
    • Careers
      • Search Careers
      • Career Areas
    • Events
      • Events Calendar
      • Webinar Series
    • In the News
    • Press Releases
    • Project Uptime Blog
  • Project Uptime
  • Equipment
  • Data
  • Safety
  • Expertise
  • All Categories
Construction site

5 Reasons Renting Construction Equipment Can Be Greener Than Owning

Looking to reduce your environmental impact? Renting may be the answer.

February 24, 2022
  • Equipment Maintenance & Service

Some construction equipment can have a heavy carbon footprint. Shrinking that footprint is good for the environment — and might be better for your bottom line. One way to do it: Rent more equipment and buy less.

Need some convincing? Here are five reasons renting can be the more sustainable option.

1. Newer equipment

When you rent equipment from an industry-leading equipment vendor like United Rentals, you’re typically getting newer models. And newer models tend to have updated features that make them more fuel efficient and reduce or even eliminate construction equipment emissions. Consider electric construction equipment. About 20% of the United Rentals fleet is electric or hybrid, and that percentage is growing. Offerings include electric forklifts, aerial lifts, skid steers and mini excavators. In sum, if you’re looking to use low or zero-emission construction equipment, renting is an easy way to do it.

There is another benefit to working with newer machinery. Depending on its age and maintenance history, older equipment may require more energy to run.

2. Well-maintained equipment

Routine service and preventive maintenance are crucial for keeping equipment running at peak performance. United Rentals maintains its rental equipment, regardless of its age, in accordance with the original equipment manufacturer’s requirements.

Machines that are well cared for run more efficiently, saving fuel and reducing emissions. They also last longer, meaning equipment typically doesn’t have to be scrapped before its time. That saves natural resources in the long run.

3. Increased utilization

The longer a piece of equipment sits idle, the more it costs you — and the more equipment manufacturers need to produce. Renting allows you to pay for only what you need, so fewer pieces of machinery sit idle on a jobsite or in the yard. Once you’re finished with a piece of rental equipment, you can get it off your jobsite immediately with one phone call or a few clicks so it can be used somewhere else.

United Rentals’ fleet management solution Total Control helps boost utilization by providing visibility into the real-time location of all your equipment, both rented and owned, and the last time it was in use.

4. Greater transportation efficiency

Moving equipment to different jobsites can quickly add up to wasted fuel and emissions if it’s not done wisely. At United Rentals, we use a customized logistics and route optimization tool for delivering and picking up equipment. By leveraging this technology, we can load our trucks in a way that uses as much trailer deck space as possible and in a sequence that keeps trucks within concentrated geographies and preferred traffic patterns. That reduces the number of empty loads and miles driven while maximizing the deliveries and pickups per trip. All of this means reductions in fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions and other air emissions.

5. The right machine for the right job

Before you add more owned equipment to your fleet, consider the environmental and economic advantages of renting. Renting not only reduces capital expenditures and boosts utilization, it also improves efficiency, helping your company and the construction industry as a whole become more sustainable.

Browse the world’s largest rental equipment fleet to find best-in-class equipment for your next project.

  • Facebook Facebook
  • X X
  • Linkedin Linkedin
  • Email Email
  • Print Print
  • Copy Link Copy Link
  • RSS Feed RSS Feed

Was this article helpful?

YesNo

Trending Articles

How to Cut Concrete Using a Concrete Saw
Contractors: Are You Violating OSHA's Portable Toilet Guidelines?
What Is a Mini Excavator Used For?
Wood Chipper Safety: Tips for Avoiding Accidents and Injuries
Locating Pipes with Acoustics and Mapping Software

Footer Social Menu

  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • X
  • Youtube

24/7 Customer Care

844.873.4948

Footer Menu

  • Mobile App
    • Download for Android
    • Download for Apple
  • Equipment
    • Rent Equipment
    • Buy Equipment
    • Credit Application
    • Rental Protection Plan
    • United Guard™
    • Download Equipment Catalog
    • GSA Contract Holder
  • Solutions & Services
    • Total Control®
    • Specialty Solutions
    • Industry Solutions
    • Customer Equipment Solutions
    • United Academy
  • Support
    • Find a Location
    • Contact Us
    • Rental Equipment Service
  • About Us
    • Corporate Fact Sheet
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Our Culture
    • Awards & Recognition
    • Project Uptime
  • Careers
    • Early Career & Development
    • Events
    • Military
    • Search Jobs
  • Investor Relations
    • Annual Reports
    • Presentations

Footer Legal Menu

  • © 2025 United Rentals, Inc.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Legal Terms and Conditions
  • Equipment Directory
  • Branch Directory
  • Cookie Settings
United RentalsHome
  • 844.873.4948
  • Europe

    • Français
    • Deutsch
    • English
    • Nederlands

    North America

    • English
    • Español
    • Français
  • Sign In / Register

Main navigation

  • Rent
    • All Equipment
    • Popular Rentals
    • Scissor Lifts
    • Boom Lifts
    • Telehandlers
    • Mini Excavators
    • Skid Steers & Track Loaders
    • Rental Resources
    • Rental Protection Plan (RPP)
  • Buy
    • All Used Equipment
    • Popular Used Equipment
    • Buy Forklifts
    • Buy Scissor Lifts
    • Buy Boom Lifts
    • Buy Mini Excavators
    • Buy Compressors
    • Buying Resources
    • Financing
    • United Guard™
  • Total Control
    • Account Dashboard
    • Invoices & Payments
    • Items On Rent
    • UR Mobile App
  • Invoices & Payments
    • Invoices
    • Lien releases
    • Apply for credit
  • Locations
    • Find a Location
  • Training
    • Course Catalog
    • Training Credentials
    • United Academy
    • About United Academy
    • Care & Support
    • United Academy - Course Catalog
  • Solutions
    • Worksite Perfomance Solutions
    • Specialty Solutions
      • Ground Protection Matting Solutions
      • Commercial Trucks
      • Flooring & Facility Solutions
      • Power & HVAC
      • Climate Solutions
      • Fluid Solutions
      • Trench Safety
      • Reliable Onsite Services
      • Tool Solutions
      • Storage Containers & Mobile Offices
      • Communications
      • Industrial Blinds
    • Power & HVAC
    • Climate Solutions
    • Fluid Solutions
    • Trench Safety
    • Reliable Onsite Services
    • Tool Solutions
    • Storage Containers & Mobile Offices
    • Commercial Trucks
    • Flooring & Facility Solutions
    • Ground Protection Matting Solutions
    • Industry Solutions
      • Power Generation & Distribution
      • Chemical
      • Oil & Gas Refining
      • Oilfield Services
      • Civil and Infrastructure
      • Restoration and Remediation
      • Government Solutions
      • Agriculture
    • Power Gen. & Distribution
    • Data Centers
    • Renewable Energy
    • Chemical
    • Oil & Gas Refining
    • Oilfield Services
    • Restoration & Remediation
    • Civil & Infrastructure
    • Government Solutions
    • Emergency Solutions
    • Emergency Response
  • Services
    • Digital Solutions
    • Total Control®
    • Mobile App
    • Notifications
    • Benchmarking
    • Wedge
    • Downloadable Catalogs
    • Repair & Maintenance Services
    • Owned Equipment Service
    • Rental Equipment Service
    • Training Services
    • United Academy
  • Safety
    • Safety Commitment
    • Safety Training
    • Safety Articles
  • Company
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Our Culture
      • Board of Directors
      • Corporate Leadership
      • Mission & Values
      • Sponsorships & Partnerships
      • Awards & Recognition
      • Corporate Responsibility Report
      • Small Businesses
      • Project Uptime
    • Investor Relations
      • Annual Report
      • Reports & Proxy Statements
      • Corporate Governance
      • Investor Press Releases
      • Investor Events, Calls & Presentations
      • Research Coverage
      • SEC Filings
    • Sustainability
    • Careers
      • Search Careers
      • Career Areas
    • Events
      • Events Calendar
      • Webinar Series
    • In the News
    • Press Releases
    • Project Uptime Blog