You’ve most likely heard about the rising energy prices as well as the many discussions about how we can stop these cost rises from happening. But it’s just as important to consider how we can reduce our energy consumption in the first place.
By looking at some simple ways you can lower your electricity bill, you can both offset the rising energy costs as well as make your business more eco-friendly and sustainable.
As we’re all about efficiency…let’s dive straight in and look at five strategies to reduce your energy in your workplace.
1. Find new ways to keep warm
Working in a cold office doesn’t often go down well with workers. And this may leave you blasting the heating. Keeping toasty is always nice but there’s plenty of other ways you can keep your office and workers warm without drastically hiking up those energy bills.
Firstly, consider the amount of heat waste that may already be happening in your business. Very often small gaps around windows and doors can steal heat. Are your lofts insulated? Are your windows double-glazed and fitted correctly?
You may want to start checking up on these simple things and find areas to improve. Simply fitting thermal curtains will keep warmth in while re-sealing windows and doors will keep the drought out.
You could also be savvy with your thermostats. Try turning down your heating by a couple of degrees and you’ll already see a difference in your bill per month. Similarly, make sure to turn the heating off overnight. Using programmable heating systems can make a difference as you’ll be able to better control the exact times you need to heat or cool your working environment.
2. Check your appliances
Ideally in your working environment, whether it be an office, a working building or your home, you’ll be able to make some swaps to energy efficient appliances.
By switching to renewable energy sources to power your business, you’ll be able to worry less each day about your consumption. You’ll also have a healthier business environment for you, your staff and the planet.
An example is energy-efficient light bulbs. One of the easiest and simplest swaps you can make. Switching any incandescent bulbs to CFL or LED bulbs can help you use significantly less energy. You can also think about using sensor lights that turn the lights off automatically when they’re not needed.
And don’t be afraid to just take advantage of the sunlight. Sometimes it’s easy to habitually turn the lights on each morning. If it’s a nice day, enjoy the natural beauty. And save yourself the cost!
Other appliances you may not think about are kettles and dishwashers. In fact, the Energy Saving Trust estimated that overfilling the kettle costs Britain £68 million every year. Similarly, putting dishwashers on when they’re not completely full has big energy implications too.
Ultimately, “dishwasher etiquette” and other energy saving techniques simply comes down to staff education and awareness. But, we’ll get to that.
3. Power “off”
Similar to making smart appliance swaps, rememberto switch off your computer and other electronic equipment. Making sure you and your workers get into the habit of shutting down, turning off or unplugging all equipment when they finish for the day is a simple trick to get those costs down.
In fact, Gazprom Energy found that if 50 employees turned off their desktop computer at the end of a work day, the business would save £300 in their yearly energy bill. Another benefit of this is increasing the safety of your working environment by having no equipment left on to overheat and cause fire risks.
4. Get employees involved
As you can see, a lot of these energy saving tips and tricks rely on making your staff aware and getting them involved in the effort. A study by The Carbon Trust found that UK workplaces could save more than £300 million a year if they educated and engaged their employees on the benefits of becoming energy efficient.
Inspiring employees to help save energy can improve the likelihood of them turning running taps off, using natural lights, wearing an extra layer to stay warm and reporting anything that may be wasting energy around the workplace.
It may be fun to start an energy saving network, appoint someone passionate as energy champion or offer incentives to get going.
5. Get energy smart
Lastly, your own education on energy is key. Understanding your bill can help you acknowledge when you can make sensible changes that make a real difference to your business costs. You’ll also be more aware of different energy providers and open to different strategies.
To become more informed about your usage, you could get an energy audit. An energy audit is an external inspection that gives you a run down of the energy flows within any given building. Giving you understanding of leaks, insulation issues and potential cost saving opportunities.
With millions of households and businesses being affected by these rising energy bills, it’s never been a better time to look at how your business can go greener.
If you’re worried about the impact of energy costs on your business, you may want to get ahead and have a better understanding of your business finance. Head to our Capitalise for Business platform to discover a healthier way to do business.
