Saving on energy can often be overlooked as it’s all too easy for businesses to pay energy bills without giving them much thought. However, saving energy equates to saving on costs, so it’s important for all businesses to think about business energy costs and what you can do to reduce them.
Thankfully, saving on energy costs doesn’t need to be hard. Here are 6 simple ways you can save energy.
Unplug
You should get into the habit of turning things off at the end of the day and not just leaving equipment and appliances on standby mode, but to save energy you can also go one step further and unplug.
Devices and appliances can still use up electricity even when turned off. A quick solution is to unplug them at the end of each day.
Switch it up
Lighting is a big contributor to energy costs. Less energy used means less costs and a simple way to save is to change out your light globes for LEDs or invest in energy efficient lighting solutions tailored for your business spaces.
Switching to LEDs can provide great savings as they use up to 75 percent less energy than incandescent lights.
LED lights are longer lasting, so you can also save on the costs of replacing the bulbs. They also don’t produce as much heat as regular bulbs. As well as overhead lights and lamps, replace incandescent EXIT signs with LEDs to save on energy costs.
Embrace natural light
Instead of turning on the lights when you arrive at the office, open up the blinds and let the natural light pour in.
Take advantage of natural lighting to make your workplace feel brighter. Natural light is free and can also help increase your employees’ mood as it always feels better than sitting under artificial lighting all day.
For darker areas in the workplace, try to limit use of artificial lighting and only use when necessary. In areas that people don’t spend much time in, including kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, don’t leave the lights on all day and make sure the lights are turned off if the space is not in use. Consider investing in motion sensors in these intermittently used spaces.
Insulate your workplace
Insulation can have a big impact on your energy consumption. Insulation acts as a barrier against shifts in temperature and minimises wasted energy.
Check for any leaks and draughts in your workspace, as these can result in wasted energy and wasted cost. Installing insulation is a cost effective way to make your office space more energy efficient. Proper insulation reduces the amount of energy needed to maintain the desired temperature in your workspace.
A simple thing you can do to improve insulation is apply weatherstripping. Weatherstripping can help get rid of draughts and may be a quicker option than installing insulation in the roof.
Limit printing
If your business prints a lot of documents this can be costing you a lot in energy.
Re-assess how much printing your business does and if you can reduce this. Look at what documents can simply be shared through email, and only print when necessary. Printing less can provide numerous benefits, as storing important documents digitally saves on office space as well reducing paper wastage.
Printing less may also allow you to get rid of excess printers. Instead of having a lot of smaller printers located at individual desks, it may be more energy efficient to buy one main printer with a good energy star rating.
Spread the word
Another simple way to save energy is to get your employees involved. Share your intention to promote energy efficiency within your business and why it’s important.
Set reminders to check that lights, office equipment, heating and cooling systems, and that appliances are turned off (and unplugged where possible) when not in use or at the end of the day.
Getting your employees on board can make it easier to reduce your energy usage, and you can also encourage them to share any ideas they have on more ways you can save on energy.
For more on reducing your business energy costs, check out our blog on energy tips for summer.