In the past, most people rarely thought about their energy bills during the summer and the heating was turned off. Today, with energy costs rising, many people keep watch on their energy usage. With extra daylight hours and warmer months ahead, this is the best time to begin changing habits when it comes to saving energy for your business.
Remember that knowing how to save energy during this summer should be your top priority. It’s crucial for your business to become more energy efficient so that you can improve your bottom lines. This post discusses the proven ways to help you save business energy during summer.
Know the business energy usage and waste
It can be hard to figure out when your business uses the most energy and where you may be wasting it, especially if you just focus on taking meter readings regularly. This is the reason why it makes sense to use smart meters. A smart meter refers to a new form of energy meter that offers you more control.
This meter can help you see the amount of money you are spending on the energy your business uses throughout the day. Therefore, this gives you the chance to adjust energy-heavy activities and reduce wasted energy. A smart meter can also give you more accurate energy bills rather than estimates. Also, they can eliminate the time and effort required to do manual meter readings.
Utilize energy-efficient office lighting
It can be expensive to keep the lights on your premises. The truth is that most of the energy your business utilized can go into lighting your business premises. Therefore, it’s a good idea to know how you can use lighting.
You can switch from using incandescent filament bulbs to modern LEDs, halogens, or CFL. Regardless of the upfront costs involved in replacing them, they can save your company a lot of energy and usually last longer. You should also ask your staff members to switch off any lights when there is no person in the room. This can sound obvious but most people forget to turn off the lights when no one is using the room.
You can also consider using motion sensors in the toilets and corridors that often turn the lights on only when they are needed. Alternatively, you can utilize light sensors that assist you to make the most of natural free light.
You should turn down the heat
Another good way you can save business energy is to utilize climate control properly. If you decide to use the air conditioning throughout the day during the summer, your energy bill can increase by at least thirty percent. You should note that when you choose to keep your employees warm, even one degree Celsius of overheating may increase the energy cost by at least 8 percent. Therefore, you should always use them both properly.
You should also give fans, air conditioning filters, and vents a quick clean regularly so that they may not overwork. Also, you can move workbenches, filing cabinets, and other pieces of furniture that may be blocking the radiators. This is because they sometimes absorb some heat which can cost your business extra money to the energy bills.
Turn the devices off
A laptop usually uses less business energy than a desktop computer, but most staff members forget to turn them off after work. Unfortunately, this can cost you extra cash for every laptop or desktop.
You need to encourage your staff members to switch off their computers rather than leave them on standby mode. Also, be careful with the big banks of plugs and switches. Besides these, you need to unplug chargers, printers, and other office devices and equipment that you are not using. Remember that even a blinking light on a TV or phone that you are not using can drain your energy.
Reduce some energy costs in your office kitchen
Many people already know that they need to boil only the water in the kettle for their cup of tea or coffee. There are also some other good ways you can save energy in the office kitchen. Regardless of whether you have a kitchen that is part of your business or a small office kitchen, you need to switch off your microwave by removing the plug when you are not using it. You can switch off ovens and backup fryers when the production times are quieter.
You can also switch on the dishwasher when it’s full. And, keep the freezers and fridges efficient. You can achieve this by cleaning the filters regularly and ensuring that they have adequate space so that they should not overheat.
It’s also a good idea to have oven doors that fit tightly, so make sure that you adjust door latches. You can also cook quicker and reduce heat loss by keeping pots covered. Preheating cooking equipment by using the recommended setting of the manufacturer and purchasing insulated cooking equipment, such as ovens, coffee machines, and fryers can also save energy.
Avoid energy waste
From convenience stores to boutiques, if a customer comes to purchase services or products, then you need to create a welcoming atmosphere in front of your business premises. No doubt, you consider ambiance, but you should also think about saving energy.
In such cases, you need to install pull-down blinds, especially on open produce and dairy cases. Once you close the business premises, these blinds can keep refrigerated air inside. You should also place a chilled cabinet away from an external door.
Aside from these, you can install evaporative condensers rather than air-cooled condensers so that you can eliminate heat. You should remember that evaporative condensers utilize a wetted filter that can increase the ability to remove heat.
Above all, you should keep the exterior and product doors closed. Avoid switching on your heating and cooling system and leave the doors open. You can also use a water machine that offers cold and hot water instead of using water coolers and kettles. This reduces the number of machines that use energy.