All businesses have a lot of challenges to overcome in their journey to success. This is especially true for small businesses, as they have a quite limited budget and need to survive the tough competition of the 21st century. The most important issue small businesses face is the endless struggle of providing enough cash flow. Cutting bills is essential for any business on a tight budget. According to The Guardian, the average business energy bill is £2600.79, which represents 0.39% of total turnover.
The success of your business may rely on becoming energy-efficient and saving energy in the office. There are many ways to conserve energy in the office. Whether your company decides to switch to energy-efficient usage mechanisms or go green by adopting alternative energy sources, in any case, business energy saving techniques will help your company cut on utility bills and encourage the betterment of the environment. In this post, we reveal 5 tips and tricks on how to save energy and use it efficiently.
Upgrade Your Office Appliances
This is the first and most important step any business should consider for saving energy in the office. Investing in a proper office equipment will save your business a lot of money. The old and barely working appliances are using way more energy than they should. Here’s a list of appliances that may be guilty of your high utility costs:
- Refrigerator
- Conditioners
- Printers
- Faucets & toilets
- Light
If you have any of these appliances in your office and they are old and are poorly operating, then you most surely need to replace them. You can always sell your old equipment and invest in modern energy-efficient ones.
Ensure Efficient Energy Usage in the Office
Saving energy in the office is not limited to appliances only. There are many techniques that will encourage your business energy saving needs.
Use the daylight - natural sunlight is a powerful source that can both help and disturb to conserve energy. If the location of your office is such that you can enjoy a plenty of sunlight and illumination throughout the day, then take advantage of this. During sunny days, your office won’t need to turn on the lights, so keep your blinds open to let the warmth into your office space. However, make sure to close them at night not to let the cold air in and to keep the warmth.
Also, place your fridge and other electronics away from direct sunlight. Overheating of electronic appliances will cause them to overuse energy. This is an important thing to consider for saving energy in your office.
Keep the air moving - creating a comfortable climate in your office can be a significant challenge when you are low on budget. Heating, cooling, and ventilation are all guilty for, on average, half of the energy used in a commercial building. Installing a ceiling fan in your office can help keep your workspace cool during summers and warm during winters. They circulate the air in the room, pushing it down and creating a “chill” effect. The energy consumption of ceiling fans depends on their size. On average, a good fan uses 15-90 watts of energy per hour, which is only a fraction of the energy used by air-conditioners. Fans are great alternative energy sources for being energy-efficient.
Use Lightning Efficiently
Lightning in the US accounts for 40% of energy consumption in commercial buildings. Using lightning energy efficiently is essential for your business energy saving. Here’s how:
- Turn off the lights when you not needed! At first sight, it might sound obvious but it’s not, as people tend to take lightning for granted. Turning off the lights is often disregarded because employees don’t pay attention to this. Create a habit of switching lights off in your office.
- Substitute your current bulbs to LED lighting bulbs as they are energy-efficient and will significantly cut your electricity bills
- Invest in installing an energy management system (EMS) which will track and control your lightning usage automatically. The tracking system will clearly show how you're using the energy in the office and help you come up with a more efficient usage system.
Engage Employees Into Business Energy Saving Process
No matter how hard you try to use different ways to conserve energy and become an energy-efficient business, if your employees are not interested, this will never happen. It is important to communicate with your employees and educate them, explaining the importance of energy saving not only to cut on the bills but also to become more eco-friendly. Changing the employee mindset and integrating energy-efficiency into your business culture will bring significant result.
For example, start a competition in the office between the departments and challenge them to consume less energy, to go green and save electricity. At the end of the competition, they will get an echo-friendly reward."
This will give the business owner an insight of how to compel reluctant employees do something for which they are not paid.
Consider Switching to Renewable Energy Sources
Renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and wind turbines, are the future of energy saving. They are the most reliable, safe and beneficial alternative energy sources. Going green today by switching to renewable energy will make your business stand out in the future. Some renewable energy companies promote businesses that switch to renewable energy.
The small business that adopts renewable energy will not only save money and become an environmentalist but will get increased brand awareness and promotion. There are companies that will provide your business with the following, if you decide to go green:
- Registering your company with the EPA
- Putting up a Window Decal Providing Social Media Posts to increase and engage followers
Going green will give the business an opportunity to be favored over its competitors, as potential customers will more likely support the company that cares about the environment.
As a business owner, try using these energy saving tips for your office by educating your staff and implement all the tips into your business culture to increase your profit margin and become eco-friendly. Work with experts in the industry, who can analyze your energy usage and consult you on becoming more energy-efficient.
