Every company, no matter what its size, can save money on its energy bills by following some simple steps. Cutting energy use and saving carbon now will help to reduce further climate change in the future. You don’t have to invest lots of money or make big changes to your business to save on your energy bills. The right combination of small changes, many costing nothing, can reduce your energy bill by £1,000s. Here are some simple, no cost, energy saving tips for small businesses:
HEATING:
- Don’t turn up the heating unless you really need to. Try to keep your thermostat at 19°C as your heating costs could increase by 8% each time you turn the temperature up by just one degree.
- Set controls. Programme your heating system controllers to allow for varying building occupancy throughout the week.
LIGHTING:
- Switch lights off in empty rooms. You could cut your lighting costs by as much as 15% just by making sure you turn off lights in areas that aren’t being used.
VENTILATION:
- As simple as it sounds, making the most of natural ventilation through correct use of doors, windows and vents is a cost-effective way of achieving big savings on your ventilation.
OFFICE EQUIPMENT:
- Switch computers off. A single computer and monitor left on 24 hours a day could cost over £50 a year. Switching it off out of hours and enabling standby features could reduce this to £15 a year.
REFRIDGERATION:
- Ensure your system is set at the right temperature. Even if it’s 1°C lower than needed, your costs could rise by 2-4%.
MOTORS & DRIVES:
- Switch off motors and other power equipment when they aren’t being used.
BOILERS:
- Service boilers every year - a regularly serviced boiler can save up to 10% on heating costs.
COMPRESSED AIR:
- Find and fix leaks - a 3mm hole in your compressed air system could cost more than £700 per year in wasted energy.
GOOD MAINTENANCE:
- Equipment which is poorly maintained will not operate efficiently and will need more energy.
KNOWLEDGE:
- Make sure everyone knows that saving energy will help the company. Ask your colleagues for their ideas on how you could all save energy.