Many businesses pay their energy bills without much of a second thought. But, with energy bills soaring in the past few years, there’s never been a better time to think about reducing business energy costs.
There are loads of quick and easy ways to reduce business energy costs without spending a fortune. Here’s our list of the 10 most straightforward ways to reduce your business energy costs.
1. Know your business energy use and waste
If you only take meter readings every now and then, it’s hard to tell when you use the most energy and where you might be wasting it. The solution? Smart meters - new type of energy meter that give you more control.
See how much you’re spending on your business’ energy throughout the day, so you can adjust energy-heavy tasks, and trim wasted energy.
Get more accurate bills instead of estimates by cutting out the hassle and time of having to do manual meter readings.
2. Switch your energy supplier
Did you know that you can switch to a new energy supplier within a matter of weeks with minimal hassle? Switching to a cheaper provider is one of the easiest ways to cut energy costs.
3. Carry out an energy audit of your business
You can’t make meaningful changes if you don’t know where you’re currently losing money. An energy audit involves taking a fine-tooth comb to the whole business and analysing where changes could – and should – be made. Don't know where to start? Let us help.
4. Replace incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs
Many businesses have already made the switch to LEDs. However, there are still some missing out on huge savings. Replacing incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs is an example where saving a little bit in lots of places can make a massive difference to your energy bills! LEDs use over 75% less energy than incandescent lighting. Also, they don’t burn out like halogens or incandescents, meaning with normal usage of six to eight hours a day, your LED bulbs could last for 15 years! LEDs are fantastic because they save you money on your energy bills but also on the cost of replacing broken bulbs. Extra mile saving: Consider getting motion sensors in your corridors and toilets that only turn the lights on when they’re needed. Or use light sensors that help you make the most of free natural light.
5. Turn lights off when they’re not in use
So, you’ve followed step 4, and now you have energy-efficient LED lightbulbs, but that doesn’t mean you should leave them on when they’re not needed! For the most significant reduction in your energy costs, it’s still important to use lighting efficiently. According to the UK government, businesses could be saving £1.1 billion by being more efficient with their lighting. The easiest way to do this is by turning lights off whenever you leave a room and remember there’s no need to light areas that are not in use, such as storage cupboards or meeting rooms.
6. Don’t leave electrical appliances on standby
Although it’s convenient to leave electrical devices such as printers on standby, the amount of money it costs businesses each year is staggering. Almost all electrical appliances still consume energy when they’re in standby mode.
Encourage your employees to turn off their computers instead of using standby mode. Pay special attention to big banks of switches and plugs. Do they all need to be on? Unplug printers, chargers and other office tech when it’s not in use. Even a blinking light on an unused phone or TV drains energy.
7. Purchase energy-efficient office equipment
Electrical appliances with poor energy ratings could be costing your business a fortune. We don’t recommend replacing perfectly decent electrical goods right away. But it is worth changing them for more efficient models once their time is up. In Europe, all electrical appliances are graded based on their efficiency, which is determined by the amount of energy the device uses each hour. The lower its consumption, the better the grade, with A+++ being the best and G the worst. Highly efficient appliances often cost a little more upfront. Still, the additional energy savings mean you should soon see a return on investment.
8. Print less - go paperless
Be as paperless as possible to avoid having the printer on all the time. Make sure it's turned off when not in use. You can encourage less paper waste by using online signing services like Docusign and doing as much sharing as you can online through collaboration platforms like Google Docs, Sharepoint and Microsoft Teams.
9. Avoid wasting heat
Keep doors and windows closed when heating or air conditioning is running. Fitting draught excluders and making sure your premises are well insulated should be very cost effective, with short payback times.
10. Rally your teams to help you save
One of the most challenging things about business energy management is that you’re usually not the only person in the building. Therefore, you can act efficiently, but if you don’t educate and involve everyone else, you’re unlikely to see a significant impact.
Of course, even after carrying out all the above, it may be the case that you're simply being overcharged on your energy bills. With so many different contract types, rates and extra costs to be factored in, understanding what goes into your energy bill is important. Get in touch with our team of experts today to see how we can help your business become more energy efficient- 020 4599 1365.
Comments