Energy Cost Saving Tips for Businesses
There’s never been a better time to save on your business energy costs.
We’re facing a sharp increase in energy costs in 2022 with the average business previously spending an average of £6,500 to now a potential spending of £10,010 per annum. This has placed yet more financial pressure and stress on businesses already attempting to recover from recent market fluctuations and the global pandemic.
If we want to help ensure that our country’s businesses stay afloat and survive these challenging times, we must take steps to reduce our energy consumption.
This helps ensure that you’re not throwing your money away on energy that you waste, you can invest more heavily in your business and you can move towards the UK government's net-zero carbon emission goals.
Here are our best energy cost-saving tips that can help you minimise your consumption and slash your energy budget at the same time.
Know how much you’re using
Understanding how much energy your business is the first step towards reducing your consumption and saving yourself money. It can also highlight if you have a serious problem and push you towards making the necessary changes faster.
Start by taking meter readings regularly, keep a record of them then share this information with your energy company. This will ensure you receive accurate bills and don’t pay for what you’re not using.
Get an energy audit
If you want to obtain a detailed analysis of your energy usage or discover any previously unidentified issues such as air leaks or insulation problems, you should consider getting an energy audit. A professional will come to your premises and conduct a detailed inspection whilst highlighting areas you could reduce your consumption and save money.
Consider solar
Solar power has come a long way over recent years, with more efficient and affordable solutions that can last for over 25 years. By investing in these green energy sources, you can slash your energy costs whilst also reducing your carbon footprint and moving closer towards UK net-zero carbon emission goals.
You’ll also show your customers that you care about the planet, building your brand identity, improving loyalty and helping to boost sales. Contact us to find out more about commercial solar panels.
Switch off appliances when not in use
Businesses can slash their energy bills simply by changing their habits to reduce energy wastage.
Here are some effective ideas:
- Turn lights off when not in use (especially in places like bathrooms, conference rooms and staff quarters)
- Power down computers and equipment at the end of the day
- Let your computers snooze- turn on ‘sleep mode’
- Remove chargers from the wall when not needed
Set your thermostats on a timer
There’s no need to heat your premises when no one is there. Set a timer or use a smart thermostat to turn off or control the temperature automatically so you can save energy without even having to think about it.
According to Health and Safety laws, a workplace should be at least 16 degrees C (or 13 degrees C if physical work is involved) although higher temperatures are recommended for optimal employee comfort.
It’s worth tweaking this to get it right- workspaces that are too hot or too cold can kill employee productivity and therefore affect revenue.
Get your team involved
Saving energy shouldn’t only be a task for management. If you want to get optimal results, you should also get your team involved with the project.
Explain to them that your business is looking to save energy then encourage them to brainstorm ways to put this into practice. Once you’ve reached an agreement, they can also put their ideas into practice and encourage other team members to do the same.
This could include designing and displaying posters, conducting regular checks, encouraging team members to dress according to the weather, and so on.
By doing this, you’ll also build team loyalty, boost morale and grow their sense of belonging whilst also making it more likely they’ll stick to the plan. It’s a win-win all round!
Final thoughts
Put these energy-saving tips into action and you can save a significant amount of money whilst also helping to reduce your carbon emissions.
Understand how much you’re using, get an energy audit, switch to solar panels then start turning off appliances and adopting other green habits. If you can also get your team involved, you’ll make those financial savings and help to boost team morale too.
For more information on switching to solar power for commercial business, contact our team today.