Saving energy means saving money, and it’s easier than you might think. Follow these 10 tips for low
Saving energy is good for business, and good for the planet. But it’s not necessarily complicated either – we can’t all afford solar-powered generators, but we can all be more energy-conscious. Here are our top 10 small business tips on using less energy.
1. Change to energy saving lightbulbs
They use around 80% less energy than regular bulbs, and you won’t have to replace them as frequently either.
2. Use motion sensitive lighting
Leaving lights on where they’re not needed is easily done. But, with motion-sensitive lighting, lights switch off as soon as a room is empty.
3. Turn on heating and air conditioning sparingly
Light bulbs are one thing, but heating and air conditioning are quite another. Heating an office, for example, is incredibly expensive over the course of a year. So, try to be more diligent about when your heating is used – even a small reduction could make a big difference.
4. Increase your air-con efficiency
If you do need air conditioning, help it perform at its peak by keeping doors and windows shut. Usually, you can also switch air conditioning off over night.
5. Produce your own energy
Keep your bills and carbon footprint down by generating your own energy. Solar photovoltaic panels use daylight, not just sunlight, to create electricity, and they can be installed on all types of buildings. Solar panels can be expensive, but generally pay off over time.
6. Turn your computers off overnight
Just one monitor turned off over the weekends can save you up to £35 on electricity every year.
7. Don’t boil more water than you need
If everyone boiled the right amount of water needed for one cup of tea, the electricity saved could power the UK’s street lights for a month.
8. Update your technology
Old computers, boilers and fridges aren’t very energy efficient. So, try and upgrade to energy-efficient products – they might be more expensive initially, but they’ll be cheaper over time.
9. Promote energy saving among your employees
It might be as simple as a few posters, or you might want to make more of a splash and build a whole campaign around energy saving – which, by the way, your customers will buy into too. Either way, you need to get your employees on-board if you want your energy saving strategy to have any real effect.
10. Keep tracks on your consumption
To find out which processes use the most energy, and which areas you can make savings in, take meter readings around your workplace regularly.
Save on your bills, too
If you buy your gas and electricity from one of the ‘big six’, you may well be overpaying. Find a better deal at xln.co.uk/energy.
