The dust has barely settled on the August Bank Holiday, but the kids are back in school, the nights are drawing in and it’s getting noticeably colder. It got so nippy at the end of August that a poll run by our friends over at UKPower found that almost half of householders had already put the heating on.
We don’t usually ask this question until at least September, but have you put the heating on yet? ?
— UKPower (@ukpower) August 28, 2020
And if people are back in the office, you can bet that the thermostat will be whacked in an attempt to keep temperatures near-tropical as staff go about their work – and when the thermostat rises, your business energy bills won’t be far behind.
So here are some top tips to to help keep utility bills down as the outside temperature drops…
Top tips to cut your business energy bills this winter
Utility bills are often dwarfed by other business costs, such as wages and fuel costs for fleet cars, but it helps to cut costs wherever you can, especially if those cuts won’t have a noticeable effect on employees – so here are some small changes you can take to the workplace, that could have a big impact on your energy bill…
1. Educate Your Employees
A typical employee might not be aware of the measures used to reduce energy usage and conserve resources. Many believe that saving energy and conserving the environment is the sole duty of the government and other such non-profit organizations. You should take the time to communicate to your employees the measures you are taking to conserve energy and the environment in an effort to share the responsbility to everyone in your business.
2. Upgrade Your Office Equipment
The market today offers a wide variety in the models of computers, copy machines, printers and other types of office equipment; many of which can demand up to 90% more energy over other energy-efficient models. Replacing your office equipment with models that bear the energy star logo will ensure every product is designed to reduce and save energy.
3. Use Electricity Only When Required
It is your duty to make sure that light bulbs and other appliances are turned off when not in use. It is a common sight to see bulbs, fans, AC’s, printers and computers left on in an office environment – even when there’s nobody in the room.
You can enforce your green policies with security cameras to reward or penalize the employees for their responsible or irresponsible behavior.
4. Maximize The Use Of Daylight
Design your office interiors to maximise the use of natural light. Try increasing the use of your largest glass windows and high ceilings to allow the maximum amount of sunlight in. This will also have the added benefit of increasing productivity by up to four time according to recent studies.
5. Choose Cubicles Over Rooms
Lighting and heating can be easily shared in cubicles; however every room requires individual heating and lighting source, which can ultimately increase energy consumption.
6. Make Use Of LED Or Compact-Fluorescent (CFL) Lights
Though the purchase price of both LED’s and CFL’s is higher when compared to the standard incandescent bulbs, they’re still preferred for their energy efficiency and longer shelf life. Both of these bulbs can comfortably replace traditional incandescent bulb and save around £120 per bulb.
7. Choose Solar Energy
Solar energy is great for generating power which can be used to heat water, light the workplace stations and better still, you can even charge your phones and other handheld devices.
8. Let staff work from home
If employees aren’t in the office, they aren’t using energy – so offering them the chance to work from home on certain days can help cut costs considerably. It can also improve morale and productivity. Staff need to be able to work as efficiently at home as they do in the office, so set up a virtual private network (VPN) to allow them to securely connect to work servers, as well as a reliable conference call service so all meetings can be held remotely.
Have you got any money saving tips? Let us know in the comments section below…
