Reducing the amount of energy your business uses is good for your cashflow and good for the planet. Knocking just a few percentage points from your energy use could have a significant impact on your monthly bills, giving you greater freedom in how you run and expand your organisation over time.
But where to begin? You don’t need to make big changes to see big results. By making a few small adjustments to your daily practices, you can reduce your energy bills and run a greener, cleaner, more cost-effective business.
- Know your business energy uses and waste
It’s hard to know where you can save energy if you don’t know how your business is using it. The best way to get an accurate picture of how much energy your business consumes – and where it is being wasted – is to install a smart meter.
With a smart meter, you can see how much energy you’re using throughout the day, which tasks are particularly energy-heavy, and where you can trim energy waste. Your bills will also be more accurate, as you’ll be doing away with speculative intermittent meter readings.
- Find the right energy contract and supplier
There are plenty of energy providers out there, but finding the right match for your business can be tricky.
Consulting energy industry experts like Consultiv Utilities is a great way to find the best energy contract for your business needs. They will assess every aspect of your business and use their extensive relationships with energy suppliers to match you with the right contract, helping you to cut emissions and cut your costs. Find out more at http://www.consultivutilities.co.uk/.
- Turn the heat down
Managing your heating should be simple: if it’s hot, turn on the air conditioning; if it’s cold, turn the heating up. But there are certain steps you can take to make your climate controls more efficient.
Give your vents and fans a regular clean, so they don’t have to work as hard, and try to avoid having desks, filing cabinets, or any other large furniture in front of radiators, as they will absorb most of the heat.
- Energy-saving bulbs
It’s a simple step, but always a wise one: replace your old filament bulbs with modern LEDs, CFL or halogens. It might mean a significant upfront cost, but since up to 40% of your business’s energy costs likely go towards lighting, it will soon prove a worthwhile investment.
- Get your team on side
There’s only so much even the best manager can do to cut energy costs. Get your team on side by making sure that energy saving is constantly a part of your business’s agenda.
Consider having monthly meetings to report on progress in energy use. Remind team members not to leave computers running idle if possible and implement motion sensors with your lighting updates so that rooms aren’t left with fully lit out of hours and overnight.
- Go paperless
In this age of email, video calls and Google Docs, there’s no reason to have the printer running all the time. Try to use as little paper as possible, and make sure the printer is turned off when not in use.
- Turn things off
Speaking of turning things off, that is one of the best ways to reduce energy waste. There’s no need to have desktops or laptops on standby throughout the night. The same goes for televisions, microwaves, cookers, kettles, chargers and printers. Even a blinking light on a phone or screen is a sign that energy is being used.
Saving energy is important, but that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult. A small change in habits and daily practises will be enough to make your business far less wasteful.
