Green Ways To Reduce Your Company Energy Bills

 

Energy prices are higher than ever. Many businesses are starting to feel the sting and are seeing their profits being reduced. By taking measures to reduce energy consumption in your workplace, you can reduce your company energy bills. You’ll also be saving the planet in the process by using less fossil fuel energy (and being eco-friendly is essential for any modern business wanting to project a good image).

There are a few different green ways to reduce your company energy bills. Below are just a few different solutions that could be worth exploring in your workplace.

Switch to LEDs

LED light bulbs consume a lot less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. At the same time, they’re longer lasting. While more expensive to buy than incandescent bulbs, they’re a much more economical and eco-friendly solution in the long run.

LEDs are sold everywhere nowadays. In fact, many stores have stopped selling incandescent light bulbs altogether in exchange for solely LEDs. It’s worth taking a look around your workplace to see if you have any original incandescent bulbs that could be worth replacing. Any lighting that has been replaced in the last few years may already be LED lighting.

Consider motion-sensing lighting

You can also save money on your energy bills by using motion-sensing lighting. Such lighting automatically turns off when no-one is in a room. This can prevent energy being wasted by someone accidentally leaving a light on in an empty room.

Motion sensing lighting can be particularly useful outdoors for lighting up your premises at night. Instead of having to keep lights on all night, lights will only turn on if someone approaches your premises.

Upgrade old hardware

Old hardware in your workplace may not be very energy efficient. This could include old computers, old commercial kitchen equipment or old manufacturing machinery.

Modern machinery is designed to use as little energy as possible. Upgrading to such hardware could save you money on your energy bills, as well as making your workplace look and feel more fresh. You may even find that modern hardware is faster and more capable, allowing you to be more productive.

Switch to smart HVAC

Traditional HVAC systems are controlled via a manual thermostat. Some have timer options, but they are typically quite rudimentary. Smart HVAC systems are controlled via an app on your phone and can give you much more control over the temperature. This greater control helps many users to save money on their energy bills.

You can install a smart thermostat onto an existing HVAC system. Once this is installed, you’re ready to go.

Turn off machines at the end of the day

Keeping machines plugged in and on standby constantly could be leading to increased energy bills. While a lot of modern machines don’t use much energy in standby mode, this small amount of extra energy each night can add up over time.

Turning off all machines before you leave will save you money on your energy bills. Of course, there are certain machines like refrigerators that may constantly have to be left plugged in. However, things like computers and POS displays have no reason to be left on.

Allow employees to work from home

The more employees there are working in your workplace, the more energy is being used. Letting employees work from home often saves them money on the commute, and it will save you money on energy and resources, making it a win-win situation.

Letting employees work from home could even be an opportunity to downsize to a smaller office (one that is more energy-efficient) or even go office-less. Of course, you don’t have to go to these extremes if you’d prefer to keep the same office – even just letting one or two employees occasionally work from home is a small step that will save you money on your energy bills.

Insulate your work premises

Insulation can help to trap heat in a building longer. On a cold day, a well insulated building will stay warmer much longer than an uninsulated building. This results in less need to constantly crank the heating up and therefore lower energy bills.

It’s worth conducting an energy inspection to see how well insulated your workplace is. If it turns out that your workplace has poor insulation, you can then take measures to improve insulation. This may require permission from your commercial landlord if you don’t own the property (most landlords will be willing to oblige if you offer to pay for it). Types of insulation could include installing double-glazed windows, adding roof insulation or adding wall insulation. There are many other insulation measures that you can explore.

Install solar panels

Instead of looking into ways of reducing your energy usage, another eco-friendly and economical option could be to reconsider where you’re getting your energy from. Most companies get their energy from a mains supplier, which may come from a fossil fuel power plant. An alternative option is to generate your own power using solar panels on your business premises roof. With enough solar panels installed, you won’t have to pay another energy bill and you’ll be harvesting clean sustainable energy from the sun.

There are commercial solar companies that specialise in installing solar panels on business premises. It’s worth shopping around for quotes, as different companies will charge different rates for solar panels. There’s no denying that solar panels can cost a lot upfront, however you can usually make your money back in a few years.

Explore other sources of sustainable energy

Solar energy is the most practical sustainable energy option for most businesses. However, there are other sustainable power sources that you can try looking into.

For example, if your company premises are based in a very windy area, you could consider using wind power to help generate electricity. Wind turbines could be placed on your roof or outside your property on your land. Hydro-electricity could also be an option if your business premises is by a river and have access to the river.