9 Useful And Beneficial Energy Saving Tips For Offices

    Energy costs typically cost SMEs far more than they think. The average energy bill for a small business comes in at a staggering $4910 (£3,664) annually, and medium businesses face invoices greater than double that amount.

    How to lower your energy expenditure?

    Fortunately, it is possible to lower your energy expenditure with natural energy systems and make your business more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. It will also help you play your part in conserving the environment.

    Here you will find a list of 9 simple but effective ways to start saving money at the office that you can start implementing today to lower your company’s energy bills:

    1. Make coffee/tea for the team

    Making tea or coffee for the entire team makes you look good and helps you save energy. If you boil the kettle just once to produce 5 or 6 cups instead of 5 or 6 times individually, you will have massive energy savings throughout the year.

    You can try having a schedule for each team. You will end up saving energy, but you will also find that employees are a bit more productive since there will be no need for them to leave their work to get refreshments as frequently.

    2. Use energy-saving bulbs

    Natural light is the ideal option for keeping the office nice and bright during the daytime. However, most businesses still rely on artificial lighting, notably colder, darker months.

    Fortunately, it is possible to minimize lighting costs by using energy-saving LED bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs. LEDs use 90 percent less energy than standard light bulbs and last considerably longer.

    LEDs might cost slightly more, but prices have dropped significantly in recent years, which means that they are now cheaper than ever to buy. The amount you will save on energy costs annually will more than make up for the purchase price.

    3. Install light sensors

    Energy-saving bulbs are also limited in how much they can save if always left on. This can be remarkably energy-wasting and costly if lights are left on in rooms not used often since it can be hours or perhaps even days before they are finally turned off.

    The easiest way to ensure that lights remain off even when not used is by installing motion sensors. If you put your office lights on motion sensors, forgetting to switch them off will no longer be an issue since they will switch off by themselves after 1 or 2 minutes.

    Over time, the energy saved from switching off lights automatically can help you significantly lower your electricity costs, thereby helping you save money in the process.

    4. Stop using paper

    Printers and photocopiers don’t just use energy; they also use paper, which is another precious and costly resource that both you and the environment can benefit from saving.

    Implementing a “paperless” rule in the office allows you to save energy that you would have otherwise spent printing off sheets of paper for notes or meetings. Instead of printing out a copy of documents you want to share with others, you can add them to a shared drive or simply send an email.

    Using this option also means that nobody will have to re-print any documents they lose because the files will remain in their inbox or shared documents folder.

    5. Turn down your air conditioning

    We don’t always just use energy to heat the office; it can be just as costly to cool things down in the heat of summer. According to the Carbon Trust, changing your AC settings by as little as 1 degree, Celsius could lower your annual energy bill by as much as 8 percent.

    With spring and summer approaching, you should work out the optimum temperature in the office and ensure that the AC is turned off once you reach this level. 68°F (20°C) is usually a suitable temperature. 

    Consider setting a maximum or minimum AC temperature to quickly regulate how much you spend on it.

    6. Consider microgeneration

    Microgeneration refers to the small-scale energy generation by small businesses to meet their own needs. Businesses can create their energy by investing in solar panels that run off sunlight during the long summer days and wind turbines that take advantage of the weather in winter.

    Microgeneration is an excellent initiative for environmentally conscious businesses, particularly those aspiring to have either zero or low-carbon footprints. It is also a perfect way to keep costs low.

    Both options can help reduce your company’s carbon footprint while also generating power throughout the year at lower costs than you might have incurred from the grid. Furthermore, if you generate more electricity than you need, you even have the option of selling it back to the grid.

    7. Telecommute and travel smart

    Car travel counts for close to 25 percent of general air pollution and climate change emissions. The daily commute is one of the greatest contributors to the number of pollutants that cars cause, so businesses need to do everything possible to help lessen the indirect impact of their operations on the environment.

    Implementing a cycle-to-work scheme, for example, or even a travel buddy scheme within your office can be a great way to do this.

    Car sharing could also reduce the cost of gas from commuting for employees by half and reduce the emissions that employees emit on their commute by half. This may result in them having higher disposable income, being happier, and thus possibly more productive.

    Furthermore, reducing your company’s carbon emissions can be a great way to boost its reputation.

    Alternatively, telecommuting is an increasingly popular option for office-based workers. It allows workers to save both time and money and helps businesses lower their energy costs and carbon footprint. It is estimated that businesses could save over $9000 (£7,000) per employee through telecommuting, and this comprises various office running costs.

    Tip: You need to have appropriate cleansing facilities for employees before encouraging them to cycle to work. A smelly office is a demotivated one – a whiff-causing employee does not precisely inspire comfort or build relationships and could therefore harm your workforce.

    8. Upgrade your appliances

    It is always important to check the energy efficiency ratings of your appliances. If they are substandard, you may be using far more energy than is necessary. The refrigerator, for instance, is always on, so upgrading to a newer model that’s more energy-efficient can have a significant impact on the amount it costs to run it each year.

    Old heaters should also be updated too. Not only do they do a poor job of heating the office, but they are also highly inefficient by today’s standards. If you install new heaters, you could get better quality heating and lower your energy consumption.

    If you are worried about the up-front costs, don’t be since you can always sell the old appliances to recoup some of the costs of installing new ones.

    9. Invest in a smart meter

    Smart meters display your electricity and gas usage in real-time, allowing you to see just how much you are spending on energy costs. The transparency that smart meters afford means they are now more popular than ever in offices and can help you save money. 

    Reasons to invest in a smart meter

    Here’s why you need to invest in a smart meter for your business:

    • Free: Energy suppliers typically don’t charge you for the installation because the current tariffs are already swallowing up the set-up costs.
    • Accurate estimates: Suppliers get far more accurate readings, which means that you won’t be charged more than you should. 
    • No need to submit readings: You won’t have to find time to take readings from your gas and electricity meters and then submit them to the supplier because smart meters do this automatically for you.
    • Reviewing your usage: You can keep a closer eye on the energy being used in the office, which means that you can identify any areas where efficiency can be improved and savings made.

    Conclusion

    If you really want to lower the overall expenditure of your business, then you have to lower your electricity bills. Upon following the above described tips, you can really manage to cut down the electricity cost by a large margin.



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