Energy is one of the biggest expenses for any business, and it can fast start eating into your bottom line. This is especially an issue for energy extensive businesses, or businesses struggling to meet their objectives. But energy is also an area where businesses can be neglectful, and make mistakes that lead to more consumption and higher costs. In some cases, just making a few adjustments could be enough to significantly reduce your energy costs, and give your business more room to breathe. Here are a few simple ways your business could be saving on energy.
Shop Around
There is no reason to stick with the utility company you are with forever, unless you’re 100% certain that you can’t get a better deal elsewhere. But how can you know if you’ve never even looked?
The first thing you should do is check what other providers could offer you.
Depending on where you live, a service like Electricityrates, for instance, is perfect for comparing business energy prices from a variety of providers in the USA. You can then decide to make the switch, or see if your current provider could give you a better deal. If they aren’t willing to meet you halfway, then leave. It’s as simple as that. Other well-known sites include Utility Bidder, a website that is more catered towards people looking to find the best energy providers in the UK.
Watch Out for Energy Vampires
Doing something as simple as unplugging idle equipment and appliances could make a significant difference on your energy bills. Did you know that plugged in appliances that are not in use could increase your monthly energy costs by as much as 15%? Get yourself some energy strips to make the process easier,and make unplugging part of your company’s protocol.
Use Natural Sunlight to Your Advantage
Sunlight is a natural and free source of energy, and if you aren’t using it correctly, you are throwing money out of the window. After all, whole countries turn their clocks back one hour each year for this purpose only, and harnessing the power of the sun could be a great way to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and electricity.
But we’re not talking about installing solar panels, though it could always be an option. Doing something as simple as making sure that the blinds stay open during the day or using skylights to reduce the need for artificial lighting is a start. Then you could start looking at advanced options such as a solar heater water tank, for instance.
These systems usually use heat collectors that are located on the roof. Water is then pumped from the tanks through tubes, heated by the collectors, then returned to the insulated part of the tank. This way, you can get hot water free of charge even after sundown, though chances are you’ll only truly need it during working hours.
Look into Heat Recovery Energy
A lot of heat is emitted by everyday processes in a business. But heat recovery technology can allow you to harvest anything from heat generated from your furnace, running hot water that is used in production, or even employees taking showers or washing their hands.
You can also consider having a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system installed in your office or factory. How this technology works is rather simple. What it does is use ambient air that was heated or conditioned, and use it to cool or heat air that is coming from outside. Hot or cold air from the inside is expelled out and mixed with air pulled from the outside through an exchanger. This means less money and energy spent on heating or air conditioning, which are two of the biggest energy expenditures of any business.
Use Motion Sensors and Detectors
You can’t always rely on humans to close and open the lights, and a lot of times, areas that are lit all the time don’t really need to, like hallways for instance. Using sensors could help reduce energy costs by making sure that these areas are only lit when people are actually using them. Sensors could also be used to control heating in certain areas.
Programmable thermostats could also give you additional opportunities to cut on costs. No need to have the AC or heat roaring when there’s nobody there, and you don’t want to come to a freezing or scorching hot office when coming in. Using a smart thermostat could allow you to adjust the temperature right before people come in so you can use it optimally without any waste.
So, if your goal is to save energy whether for economic or ideological reasons, all of these tips will allow you to reach your goals. The best is that a lot of these are simple adjustments that businesses of any size can implement.
