While it may not be at the forefront of every business owners mind, energy costs can actually have a significant impact on overall profits. Even small businesses tend to spend over £3000 a year on energy bills, meaning every small effort to minimise energy is highly valuable.
Here are some easy yet effective ways for businesses to reduce their energy use and maximise on profits.
Rounds Of Drinks
It might seem silly, but making rounds of brews can actually save tons of energy in the long run. Kettles use a considerable amount of energy to function, so by boiling the kettle once or twice per round of drinks rather than once every time each employee makes a drink, companies can save hundreds. Why not set a rota for your office so everyone can take turns?
Lighting
There are a number of ways to reduce energy costs when it comes to your office’s lighting. Although they may be less visually-appealing, energy-saving LED bulbs use far less energy than regular bulbs and are cheap to buy these days. On top of this, your office could have light sensors installed so lights are only turned on when a room’s being used.
Upgrade Appliances
If your office uses any old appliances, the chances are you will be using more energy than necessary. Newer models have much higher energy-efficiency ratings, meaning they use less energy to do their job. It’s worthwhile replacing any fridges, heaters, boilers, and more if they are more than a decade old to avoid pumping your money into an appliance that is highly inefficient.
BOXT offer replacement boilers for both homes and businesses across the UK. They pride themselves on their exceptional customer service, fast turnarounds and highly efficient boilers. Each model has an A- rating for efficiency and they only work with the top boiler brands, such as Vaillant boilers and Worcester Bosch boilers.
A new boiler cost is well worth the investment for energy efficiency and safety. A relatively new appliance on the scene that’s highly worth installing is a smart meter, which can allow your office to monitor how much energy you’re using for gas and electric day-to-day. If you notice you’ve used more than usual one week, you can make an increased effort the following week to be more careful.
Turn Off Equipment
Turning electrical goods off overnight is another way to chip away at your office’s energy bills. While it may be easier and tempting to leave computers or laptops on standby overnight so they’re all set to go in the mornings, this is a surefire way to ramp up your energy usage. Appliances on standby are still using energy, so it’s important for the office’s set rules for employees to switch everything off at night.
Many appliances have energy-saving modes these days, which can be switched on to ensure that appliances use the minimum amount of energy necessary to function.
Go Paperless
More and more businesses these days are choosing to completely paperless, meaning they don’t use paper unnecessarily for the printing of documents for both internal uses and for customers. This is hugely important for reducing the carbon footprint of your company but can also save you considerable energy, through not using a printer or photocopier on a day-to-day basis.
Insulate Your Building
If your office is based in an old or draughty building, making small changes around the office can help to save energy too. Head to your local DIY store for some insulating strips that can be placed around doors and window frames to stop draughts creeping in. For old wooden floors, having any holes or cracks filled either professionally or with some DIY floor filler is another useful way to prevent your office from having to use your heating too frequently. To further insulate older buildings, you could have roof insulation upgraded or installed to prevent heat from escaping.
Make The Most Of Natural Light And Heat
If you live in an office with a large number of windows, you can use this to your advantage by letting the sun stream in during the warmest parts of the day and close the blinds as it gets darker to trap the heat in. It’s surprising what a difference natural light and heat energy can make, allowing businesses to use their boiler and/or lights far less often.
