Smart energy management doesn't just mean large-scale solar projects or a wide-reaching uphaul of the way your business operates. Many energy efficiency wins are easy to access, quick to implement, and cheap to get going.
Whilst it’s important to consider long term solutions to adapt to energy costs over time, being smart about how your energy is used could provide some much-needed relief for your energy bill. Here are some affordable energy wins your business can implement today.
Smart meters are one of the easiest ways to keep tabs on your daily energy usage, allowing you to detect period of high usage and waste. By observing how your business is using energy and how much it is spending day-to-day, you can streamline or cut back on energy-intensive activities and receive more accurate bills.
Use your thermostat to ensure your workspace is only being heated and cooled when necessary. Reducing your heating by one degree could cut your energy bill by up to eight per cent, and ensuring your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technology is only active during business hours can also have a significant impact on your usage and bills. Some other key HVAC solutions include:
Getting smart meters and thermostats fitted should be your organisation's first point of action. Not only will it uncover key facts about your energy use, but it could save you from investing in unnecessary energy solutions.
When considering energy efficiency measures, one opportunity you may not be familiar with is Voltage Management or Voltage Optimisation (VO).
“There’s a difference between the voltage supplied to a building and the voltage appliances are designed to operate at more efficiently,” explains Gary Vizard, managing director at EnergyAce.
“On average, the voltage across UK business is 242V, but most electrical equipment is designed to work across the whole European Union, so the optimum operating voltage electrical equipment needs to work most efficiently sits around 220V and 230V. This overvoltage not only costs more, but it also shortens the life of electrical equipment.”
Gary highlights that many businesses aren’t optimising their electrical equipment for most efficient use and business owners are often unaware of the specific voltage requirements their equipment may have.
Optimised equipment = reduced energy waste!
“The surplus voltage produces additional heat, noise, vibration, and causes stress on electrical equipment leading to system damages. Computers and LED lighting are particularly vulnerable to overvoltage and fail much sooner if not optimised properly,” says Gary.
An installed VO system ensures that buildings only consume the energy they need, reducing overvoltage issues and energy waste. The system works by optimising incoming voltage and lowering electricity consumption to reduce bills and electrical equipment failure.
“Installation of these systems usually take around one hour with no need to change your electricity supplier. They can reduce electricity bills by up to 20 per cent, improve the lifespan of electric equipment, require no maintenance, and have a fifteen year warranty,” says Gary.
If you’d like to know more about the services EnergyAce offer, visit their profile on our Marketplace.
Laptops are much less energy-intensive than desktops, and employees tend to take their laptops home at the end of the day meaning there are no overnight costs from machines left on standby.
Research has shown that desktops left on standby through the night can cost businesses up to £50 per year per desk. This includes printers, copiers, and the like. When replacing office equipment, look at ENERGYSTAR-rated hardware which is more energy efficient and better suited to cutting costs.
Choose your lighting carefully. Besides the obvious solutions, such as turning off lights in areas that aren’t in use, making the most of natural sunlight, and ensuring non-essential lighting is off overnight, replacing your bulbs can have a phenomenal impact on your energy use. For some businesses with large spaces in need of light, up to 40% of energy use goes into lighting. Switching incandescent bulbs with CFL, LEDs or halogens will have noticeable benefits when it comes to energy use.
Read about how musicMagpie are saving 67,000kWh a year with new LED system.
Engage your staff. Ensuring everybody within your business is well-informed about energy efficiency and the steps that can be taken to reduce waste and lower costs is essential. Making the effort to be more energy-savvy will not be impactful unless everybody within your organisation is on-board.
Consider hosting company-wide focus groups, and make sure that your company’s energy plans are clearly articulated to all staff. Creating signs around a workspace which highlight your organisation's energy use expectations and goals is a quick and easy way to signpost to your staff your energy targets and get them on-board.
Implementing any combination of the abobve strategies at your organisation will save money and energy from the moment they are activated. Before you take the dive into large-scale projects with chunkier price-tags, start with the simple and affordable quick wins.
Read our series of blogs to help you reduce energy in your business.
Green Technologies & Services Lead
Vicky manages a team of advisors, delivering award-winning sector support for the Green Economy team. She has over 10 years' experience supporting businesses across the low carbon and environmental goods and services (LCEGS) sector and has an esoteric understanding of barriers to growth, offering reactive advice about the challenges facing the green sector.
With a combined Master’s degree in Town and Country planning with Landscape Planning Management, Vicky understands that places need to be developed in a sustainable way that is inclusive of entire communities.
Vicky is part of the Green Economy team because she wants to build client relationships and continue her involvement in a transformative sector that progresses social and environmental goals for future generations.
