Ryan Taylor

Managing Director: Hi-Spec Electrical Ltd

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How to reduce energy consumption in your business

If you’re wondering how to reduce energy consumption and costs in your business, our experts have put together a list of handy tips to help.

But why does it matter? Can it really make a difference to your business?

Despite the UK having its greenest year to date in 2019 with 137 consecutive days of renewable energy outpacing fossil fuels, according to a report by Green Alliance, businesses in the UK are still currently throwing away £60 million a year in wasted energy. The energy wasted by businesses in Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham alone could power more than 42,000 homes!

Another statistic offered by Forbes estimates that 36% of the UK’s daily business energy consumption is wasted.

From both a financial and ecological point-of-view, this indicates that we could do much more to save energy, money and the planet by adjusting our strategies and behaviour in order to reduce energy consumption.


Energy saving tips for businesses

At a time when there’s so much uncertainty in the world – especially with the coronavirus hitting so many businesses hard – in order to adapt, businesses are going to have to get creative to save money and keep driving forward.

So if you want to know how to reduce energy consumption to boost your eco-credentials and your bottom line, here are our Top 7 energy saving tips for businesses…

  1. Power down – make sure you turn off all equipment employees are not using at the end of each day e.g. computers, phone chargers etc and ensure all lights are switched off before leaving. In fact, you could go a step further and make it company policy.
  2. Upgrade to energy efficient LED lighting – lighting in your business can account for up to 35% of your energy consumption, and while there’s obviously an initial cost to swap to LED lighting, it will pay for itself over time. Read more about the savings LED lighting can represent to your business here.
  1. Install PIRs – install PIRs (passive infrared sensors) in each room to prevent lights being left on unnecessarily. They will automatically switch lights on as someone enters, and off again when they leave. One less thing to worry about in your quest to reduce consumption!
  2. Over-door heaters/door curtain – if you have a door curtain at your premises, be aware that they’re real energy-drains – so instead of having it running constantly, add a thermostat to give you more control. Once the room reaches a certain temperature it will shut the heater down and only come back on once the temperature drops again.
  3. Install energy efficient appliances – when the time comes to replace your appliances, make sure you look for those with an energy rating of ‘A’ as a minimum. Remember than things like fridges are left on all the time, using energy every minute of their serviceable life!
  4. Renewable energy sources – this won’t be feasible for every business, but if possible, you should definitely consider installing a renewable energy source – such as solar panels – to help reduce your grid consumption and costs.
  5. Smart meter – it’s much easier to make decisions and adjustments to your strategy if you have the facts and figures in front of you. Having a smart meter installed allows you to constantly monitor energy usage, so you can see how the changes add up and look for other ways to save energy. Check out https://www.britishgas.co.uk/business/smarter-working/smart-metering

As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can reduce energy consumption to bring your overheads down while also making a difference to the environment – if you need any help to implement any of these energy saving tips for businesses, just call your local electrician who will be happy to help.

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