A business uses much more power than a home because it has multiple lights that must be on during the whole of the business day and security lights on at night, not to mention heating and cooling for customers. Then there is always a need for the phone, Internet service and the other office equipment that uses a lot of power to consider. Some businesses use more than others, especially those in the hospitality industry where there is a lot of cleaning or cooking to be done. So how can you save on the cost of power in your business?
- Be the one in control of heating and cooling. Reducing the heat by just one degree can save up to 8% on the heating bill.
- Depending on how your business premises are oriented, you may be able to make use of sunlight to help warm the interior if you open blinds and curtains.
- Increasing the fan speed will often warm a room more even without turning up the heating, as the fan will circulate the warm air more efficiently.
- Close doors to colder rooms on cold days and hotter rooms on hot days to prevent loss of hot or cold air.
- Make sure all the windows and doors are closed when running air conditioning.
- Choose premises that are well insulated.
- Switch existing lighting out for a more modern option. Fluorescent lights are more efficient than traditional light bulbs, while LED lighting is more efficient than fluorescent.
- Cleaning windows and external glass walls can help to make the place brighter and reduce the use of lights.
- Train your staff in the use of energy saving capabilities on the computer and photocopier as well as the lights and other electrical needs and make sure they are all switched off overnight and at weekends.
- Computers and laptops set to go into sleep mode when not being used, can use up to 90% less energy than those that are not.
- Maintain the heating and cooling systems to make sure they work to optimum efficiency. A poorly maintained system will use more power for less effect.
- Don’t have the urn boiling away all day, use a timer to make sure it comes on only when needed.
- You can also install presence switches for rooms that are not used all the time. The light will come on when someone enters and switch off when they leave.
- If your heating or cooling system is more than ten years old, it will pay you to install a new one that saves up to 40% of the annual costs of heating and cooling.
- Purchase office equipment with high energy star ratings. While laser printers use less ink, they use more power to run, so an inkjet printer may be a better option, depending on usage and needs.
- Make sure there are no gaps in the walls, ceilings and around doors and windows that can let hot or cool air in or out and increase the costs of running your heating and cooling systems.
