Energy Saving Tips For Small Businesses

It is easy when you are busy running your business to overlook ways in which you can keep costs down, like on your utility bills. We offer expert advice on Energy Saving Tips For Small Businesses.  Many small businesses do not keep track of how much their gas and electricity is costing them, or do not know how to reduce it.

By taking a few simple measures to save energy in your business, you will see an immediate drop in the amount you are paying and reduce your carbon emissions.

This guide covers 10 such ways which are easy and virtually free to implement. So start improving the energy efficiency of your business and save on your energy bill today.

1. Track The Amount Of Energy You Use To be able to understand the amount you will save by becoming more energy conscious, you will need to know exactly how much you were paying beforehand. Keep track of your bills, especially after you have made the changes so you can see how much you are saving.
2. Switch Off PC’s Always switch off your office PC’s when they are not in use, especially over weekends and bank holidays. Research shows that leaving one PC on over a 24 hour period will cost you over £50 a year*. Turning it off out of hours is best practice, but even putting it on standby or power save mode will reduce this amount to £15.
3. Only Turn The Heat Up If You Need To Turning your thermostat up by just one degree increases your heating cost by around 8%*. So if you were to do it all the time, your bill would be through the roof! Before you reach for the heating control, think about whether you really need to turn it higher than the recommended 19°C. For instance, if your staff feels cold, then encourage them to wear warmer clothing.
4. Do Not Obstruct Your Radiators Now that your heating is on, you need to make certain that you are getting the most heat from your radiators. Putting furniture or files in front of them will stop heat from getting through. To stop heat from being absorbed through the walls, try putting aluminium foil behind your radiators.
   It’s also wise to get your radiators and central heating system serviced regularly, because you could be paying an extra 10% a year on heating bills if they are inefficient*.
5. Use Energy Saving Light Bulbs The government is phasing out inefficient light bulbs, and it’s no wonder because an energy saving one lasts ten times longer and uses around 80% less energy*. It costs about fifty pence, and according to the Energy Savings Trust will save you approximately £3 a year on your electricity bill. Although this may not sound that big on its own, if you replace 20 then you will save £60.
6. Keep The Heat In Where possible make sure doors and windows are kept closed to keep the heat in, especially where the temperature between rooms and corridors is different. It’s also wise to draught-proof your windows and doors with excluders that can be found for a reasonable price at all DIY shops.
7. Switch Off Lights When Not In Use By turning the light off when you leave an empty room, you could cut around 15% off your electricity bill. This applies to all unused rooms, including meeting rooms and toilets. You can also significantly cut your carbon emissions; for instance if you switched off a fluorescent light for one hour a day, you could reduce your annual carbon emissions by 30kg.
8. Use Natural Lighting Where Possible There is nothing like daylight coming through the office to improve the working environment, and your electricity bill! Where possible, work near windows and ensure that they are not obstructed with blinds or piles of files and paperwork, and make the most of natural lighting. A bright sunny day will also help to heat up a room.
9. Be Smart During Your Coffee Break Did you know that if everybody stopped boiling more water in their kettles than they needed, then we would have saved ourselves enough electricity to light all our nation’s streets! Only boil enough water you need to make your hot drink during your coffee break. Overfilling the kettle wastes energy and money.
10. Make It A Team Effort By talking to your staff about saving energy and reducing carbon emissions you are more likely to get them on side, which means energy saving becomes a team effort. Always lead by example, and encourage them to express their energy saving ideas.

You can find out more about how your business can save money and reduce its carbon emissions from energy advisory websites like energysavingtrust.org.uk or carbontrust.co.uk.

*Sources – energysavingtrust.co.uk, carbontrust.co.uk.