Keeping costs down has to be one of the essential issues for any business, no matter whether during the coronavirus pandemic your employees are working from home, or your business premises remain open.
Depending on the size of your organisation and facilities, you can lower your monthly electricity bill by thousands of pounds by taking a few easy steps to increase the energy efficiency of your offices. We have a rundown of some of the simple tips and changes you can make that will add up to short- and long-term energy savings.
- Get an energy audit
Most utility companies will offer a free business energy audit to their commercial customers. They will help to figure out where your money is going each month, and how to increase energy efficiency and lower electric bills.
- When not in use, turn off lights and equipment
This might seem like an obvious tip, but consider how much energy is being used by all the computers, monitors, printers and devices that are generally left on and unused. By ensuring they’re left in ‘sleep mode’ or completely turned off overnight means you won’t be paying for electricity that you’re not using.
- Take advantage of natural sunlight as often as you can
Open the blinds around your offices and workspaces to make the best use of daylight. Take advantage of as many natural light sources as possible to lower your use of lighting during daytime hours.
- Install long-lasting compact fluorescent light (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs
Replacing a single 60-watt bulb with an 18-watt energy-efficient bulb that’s on for 10 hours a day can save a business £2 a year. Multiply that by the hundreds, if not thousands of bulbs in your business, and that is some serious savings.
Energy-efficient bulbs aren’t just a smart answer about how to lower electric bills in the short term. Their extended service life will help you save in the long term, too. LED light bulbs not only use at least 75% less energy, but they can also last 50 times longer than the average incandescent—up to 20 years.
- Use motion detectors and automatic dimmers that adjust to your needs
Consider installing motion detectors in hallways, meeting spaces and other places where “always-on” isn’t always needed – along with automatic dimming controllers that measure and adjust to the light levels you actually need.
- Purchase energy-efficient office equipment
When purchasing new office equipment, be sure to check the energy efficiency rating label. Computers, monitors, printers, scanners and copiers with better energy efficiency ratings can help save 50 per cent or more in energy on these power-hungry devices.
- Consider alternative and renewable energy sources to help power your business
Using commercial renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, to power, some or all of your business can help lower your business energy costs over time. Doing so also generates power that’s free of harmful CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases.
Learning how to reduce business energy costs throughout your offices – and using renewable energy sources to generate more of your power – can put your organisation in a much better position to compete and succeed.
If you need electrical wholesalers in Belfast, then contact us today.