Your business energy bill can often be one of your biggest expenses, but there are ways to reduce this, and one way is by investing in more energy efficient pieces of equipment for your workplace.
Office equipment can account for a large portion of your business’s energy use, but choosing the right equipment for your office can help you save in the long run. While buying energy efficient models can be more expensive upfront, over time you will save on your electricity costs.
Here are some things to consider when buying new energy efficient equipment for the office.
Energy rating label
The energy rating label can be very helpful when it comes to choosing the most energy efficient equipment for your business.
It’s important to always keep in mind that purchase price is not the only cost factor when buying office equipment; running costs will be an ongoing expense that will add to your electricity bill each month.
The energy star rating indicates the energy efficiency of the equipment, revealing how much electricity a piece of equipment uses in comparison to other models. It can also show how much electricity it will use each year.
The energy star rating is important to consider before buying office equipment, as it can reveal the true long-term cost of equipment, and is helpful in working out the ongoing costs of an appliance or piece of equipment. Always buy office equipment with the best energy rating you can afford, as it is a good long-term investment for your business.
Look for energy saving features
When buying equipment for your business, look for models that have energy saving features and settings.
Office equipment such as computer monitors, PCs and printers can often be left turned on all day, using up a significant amount of electricity. Look for models that have power saving modes, so they utilise less energy when not in use.
Some equipment may have features such as timers or sensors, so that when not in use they automatically turn off, or you can set them to turn off at set times during the day to reduce your energy consumption.
Only buy the essentials
The more office equipment you have, the more energy you’ll use and the higher your electricity bills will be.
Try to limit how much equipment you have in the office by assessing what’s essential. Consider how often you use different equipment to help you identify any equipment you could remove from the workplace. For example, remove any excess printers and copy machines, and instead invest in one energy efficient model.
When determining what essential equipment you should invest in, consider the estimated cost of operating the equipment over its lifetime, as certain equipment and appliances consume more energy than others. Replace the least efficient equipment, and equipment that uses the most energy, with energy efficient versions to get the most benefit for your business and don’t buy more equipment than you need.
Consider the size
Size of equipment is another important factor to consider, as sometimes going bigger is not always better.
For some equipment, size can impact how much electricity is used. For example, choosing the right size is important when buying heating and air conditioning systems, as buying one that is too small can result in you needing it to run for longer which can reduce efficiency and increase costs, while one that is too big may need to be turned on and off more frequently to get the temperature right.
Choosing the wrong size may outweigh the energy efficiency benefits, so consider the right size for your needs when buying office equipment.
For more on how you can reduce energy consumption and costs, check out our blog on strategies for saving energy in the workplace.