Finding ways to cut your energy costs is not only good news for your business’ bottom line, it’s also important for the environment. With mounting pressure on organisations of all kinds to take steps to cut their carbon footprints, now could be the time to take action to make your company both leaner and greener. The following five tips should help to get you started.
1. Install Motion Sensor Lighting Systems
Did you know that lighting can account for as much as a quarter of an organisation’s electricity bill? As the experts at business utilities specialist Utility Bidder point out, one way to reduce your lighting costs is to install motion sensor systems that ensure bulbs are only on when they need to be. These solutions don’t rely on workers remembering to hit the light switch when they are leaving an area. For best results, combine these systems with LED bulbs, which are much cheaper to run than traditional non-energy saving bulbs.
2. Use Power Strips To Make It Easier To Unplug Appliances
We all know that leaving appliances on when they’re not in use wastes energy, but getting into the habit of turning equipment off at the plug on a regular basis can be difficult. One way to tackle this problem is to plug your devices into power strips that are easily accessible and that allow you to turn multiple pieces of equipment off at once – for example when you’re shutting down the office at the end of the day.
3. Improve Your Heating Controls
Heating systems for commercial premises can be complex, so if you haven’t already done so, spend some time making sure you fully understand the controls. This should allow you to more accurately set the temperature in your office to match the season and the weather condition, as well as the occupancy level at any given time. You might also want to consider lowering your thermostat a little. A drop of just one degree may not even be felt by your workers, but it could lead to significant savings on your bills.
4. Block Draughts With Weather Stripping And Caulking
Perfecting your heating system is great, but you’ll still be wasting money if your office isn’t well sealed from the weather. This means it pays to check that your windows and doors aren’t letting in draughts. If you can feel cold air entering your office, use weather stripping and caulking around the affected windows and doors to block these draughts. As well as helping to keep your heating bills down, this will make your workspace more comfortable for employees.
5. Choose Energy Efficient Equipment
It might sound obvious, but when you’re choosing new equipment for your office, whether it’s a printer, a PC or a toaster, make sure it has a good energy efficiency rating. When buying items like these, it’s all too easy to overlook this issue, especially when other factors including price are likely to be high on your checklist. But bear in mind that the energy savings you can make as a result of selecting efficient equipment can really mount up over time, so it’s worth making an effort to do this.
Whether it’s blocking a draught or replacing old light bulbs with LEDs, these suggestions are quick and simple to implement, and they could bring lasting benefits to your business.
