How You’re Wasting Business Energy Without Knowing It
There is a multitude of ways to cut back on business energy usage. Many of these things often go overlooked, despite having the potential to make a substantial difference to energy usage with little effort. In this article, we will look at ways in which you may be wasting energy, which you may not have thought of. If you would like to read more information or learn more about the pricing of business energy, you can do so here.
How You’re Wasting Business Energy Without Knowing It
-
You’re not using LED lights.
LED lighting is excellent. It is a fantastic way to cut business energy use. LED lights use less energy than traditional bulbs of similar sizes, are much more efficient, last longer and are much brighter. You can get LED light fittings with wireless controls to make them easier to use without losing the light brightness or efficiency benefits. LED lights can be controlled through a dimmer, or the dimming can be done remotely. They have bulbs that can be individually changed. This allows for some interesting lighting effects too.
2. You’re not scheduling your energy use.
Many businesses run on a 24/7 basis, regardless of whether they are open or not. It is recommended that you allocate some time, at least once a week or otherwise, to check your usage. This will allow you to adjust settings as necessary and help reduce energy usage. When was the last time you did this? Some obvious things to look at are when the lights or heating are on and off.
3. You’re not turning off appliances when you’re not in
There is no reason why the lights, computers, printers, and other office equipment should continue to be used when you are not there.
4. Your building is not insulated.
Many buildings are poorly insulated. Not only does this increase your energy usage, but it also increases the temperature inside your office, meaning you will use more air conditioning or heating. If you can’t afford to completely re-insulate your office or building, there are things you can do which will dramatically improve the insulation in your business.
5. You’re running older computers.
It may seem like a good idea to keep older or slower computers, but if they’re not being used, replacing them might make more sense. Any computer you are not using is still going to be using energy, contributing to your business’s energy usage.
6. You’re not using energy-saving business equipment.
Most new products being made are made with energy usage in mind. This is because they are aware of the impact it has on their customers and their businesses. You can rarely find a product that doesn’t claim to reduce energy usage. It is something to look for when buying equipment for your office.
7. Your employees aren’t informed.
Informed employees are more likely to bring down the company’s energy usage. Employee education and encouragement to be aware of issues such as using the computer, turning off lights, unplugging unused equipment etc., can go a long way to making your business’ energy usage much more efficient.
8. You’re not using your HVAC system.
It is impossible to have an efficient building without an HVAC system. Every building has its temperature requirements, and these need to be met – if they are not, you will use more energy than necessary. You can’t just install an HVAC system and expect it to run independently. They have to be integrated with your building management system (BMS) to be used effectively when you need cooling and heating.
9. You’re not taking advantage of free energy-saving services.
Many different energy companies out there will offer free energy assessments to businesses like yours. They will not only look at your energy usage to see if you are wasting energy, but they will also offer advice on how you can make business energy use more efficient.
Energy usage can be monitored remotely. This allows you to keep an eye on usage at a particular time of day and week, which may allow you to reduce energy use during times of peak demand and lower your bills. There are plenty of free or low-cost tools for this.
How You’re Wasting Business Energy Without Knowing It – To Conclude
Energy efficiency in business can be an issue for many reasons, but cutting down on energy use isn’t one. Some of these may not be things you have time to do, but there are a few that can have a significant impact.
Find out more about switching business energy providers here.
Other useful links about Business Energy
Affinity Water
Can SMEs Become Carbon Neutral?
Reading Your Business Energy Bills
Remember to Compare Your Business Costs is here to help your business every step of the way from business advice, or saving you time and money on your business purchases such as:
Ally Cox is a dedicated Copywriter and Blogger for CompareYourBusinessCosts.co.uk. In under two years, the platform achieved the esteemed accolade of ‘Website of the Year’. Since its award-winning debut, Ally has been instrumental in fostering organic growth for the website, expanding its offerings to encompass comparisons across a diverse range of over 20 products to help serve all your business needs.