When running a business energy costs will count for a large amount of your monthly financial outlay. Therefore, it is essential that business owners implement best practices for their staff to help reduce the amount of energy being used. It is not just a cost saving that you can count on when you do this, but also by helping to meet energy efficiency standards your business can become a greener company. There are a number of ways in which you can save energy in the business, and here are 5 tips which you should start with.

Air Conditioning

Commercial air conditioning units are of course necessary in a hot workspace, but it should also be noted that this can really use up a lot of energy in the business. For this reason, you must ensure that best practices are followed in relation to using the AC. Firstly, you should look to get an inspection on all of the units in the workplace to ensure that they are working at their optimal and not wasting any energy. Secondly, you should always look to try and purchase energy efficient AC units and use the power saving settings (where reasonable) to keep energy usage down. Be sure that that AC is switched off in spaces and offices which don’t need it or aren’t currently in use.

Lighting

Energy efficient LED bulbs should be in place throughout the business and you must encourage your staff to turn off lights when they are leaving a room. Use as much natural light as you can, to negate the need for lighting. Companies can also look into implement lights that have timers, which will switch them off when the business is closed.

Computers

Computers and printing equipment should be turned off when the business is closed, and you can set up kill-switches on computers which will ensure that all monitors and systems are disconnected, when not in use during the evening and overnight. To maximize effectiveness of this effort, make sure that you work hard on getting your employees on board with this.

Heating Timers

Nobody wants to start their day in a cold office or workspace, but there is no need to have the heating on from morning until night. Use thermostats and set timers for the heating to come on 30 minutes before the business opens, and then manage this so that it doesn’t stay on all day when not required. Play around with times until you hit the sweet spot between using less energy while still keeping the workplace warm.

It is important to note that with all the technology it is crucial that maintenance is undertaken, for instance air conditioning service every few months, as well as making sure that computers and lights timers and cut offs are all work effectively.

Communication

The key to using less energy at work will be down to the employees and it is vital that you communicate the plan to reduce energy usage in the company. Make this visual and show the employees just how much energy the business is consuming, and then keep doing this monthly so that they can see the difference that they are making. You could also offer an ideas pool from the staff to see if anyone can think of better ideas to save energy, incentivize the staff to lower their usage and you’ll see a big difference to your overall energy usage and bills.

Paul Petersen