Energy Efficiency Tips for Businesses

It doesn’t matter if you’re a company of one or a large office block with over a thousand staff – saving energy isn’t difficult if you make small adjustments to your business. While some of these energy saving tips might require a little bit of expenditure, even changes in attitude toward energy consumption can make a huge difference. Let’s take a look at some simple ways you can keep those bills down:

Computers go a long way toward a company’s energy usage, aside from other essentials such as heating and lighting. Even if you have the most efficient equipment money can buy, there are still ways you can further reduce your outgoings by making a few simple tweaks to your system. All operating systems have energy management options so the screens can be set to switch off, sleep or hibernate after a certain length of time. This can really help save money in cases where people may be called away from their desks unexpectedly for long periods of time, as your computer will be drawing a reduced amount of power. This is much more effective than using screensavers, a now redundant hangover designed to prevent burn-in on old plasma and CRT screens. Screensavers are unnecessary on modern monitors but persist due to their nostalgia factor and entertainment value. They often use as much or even more energy than a monitor in use so you will be better off using a blank screen option or adopting the aforementioned power saving settings to switch the monitor off altogether.

Not every area of the workplace needs to be constantly lit. Break areas, toilets and storage rooms see a lot of people come and go but are rarely occupied for long periods of time. Forgetting to turn a light off after use is easy to do, and if it’s the case that your storage room’s light is left on over the weekend, you’ll be wasting money and energy every time it happens. Fitting occupancy sensors in rooms that are only used for short periods will keep lighting costs to a minimum and means you don’t need to worry about lighting being left on.

This is an obvious point but one that often gets overlooked. Checking your building for draughts will make it more thermally retentive and reduce the amount of energy you’ll need to keep it warm. Ensuring that any gaps or leaks are dealt with should be relatively cheap to do and just requires a little time and elbow grease. Even if you do not own the building or office space you’re working out of, you can always fit temporary adhesive strips around windows to plug up any gaps where cold air might be getting in, but it’s always worth talking to the owner of the building first to discuss permanent improvement options. Doors can also be a source of draughts and should be properly fitted with excluders to prevent cold air moving from room to room.

Aside from talking to your staff, conducting a walkaround is a fantastic starting place for making your business more energy conscious. A walkaround involves surveying the building for potential problem areas that contribute to energy wastage and creating an action plan based on the findings. It’s simple to do: all you need is an audit checklist, a pen and any relevant protective clothing. It may also be useful to take photos to visually document everything you find on your walkaround. Once you’ve made a detailed assessment of your findings, you can start to plan how to fix any issues and weigh up the reward against the cost of implementing your solution. If you want to see an example checklist to try this in your own workplace, the Carbon Trust have a template which can be found here.

So, now you have the tools to make your business more energy efficient – but which of our electric heaters are most suitable? The most efficient system is always going to be one that emits radiant warmth, since it’s a direct A-to-B transfer of heat that lasts longer than traditional convection systems. All our electric radiators and infrared heaters fall into this category, so you’re guaranteed efficiency no matter which you choose.

Making your business more energy efficient doesn’t always require a massive costly overhaul and even minor changes can have a big impact over the long term. By getting everyone involved and minimising waste on an individual level, this will easily build-up to more substantial savings on a monthly and yearly basis. So, browse our range of office & commercial electric radiators and overhaul your business today. We offer exclusive benefits and discounts for our trade customers, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re interested in making an account with us.

• Upgrading your electronics (computers, lighting & kitchen appliances) will be an investment but it’ll save you far more money long-term than your old inefficient systems.
• Invest in electric heating systems that emit radiant warmth like electric radiators and infrared panels. Set schedules to only heat during the workday and zone your heating so lesser used spaces aren’t being warmed longer than necessary.
• Draught-proof doors and windows and check with staff to see if they have any suggestions for saving energy – they probably run into things in their day-to-day that you might not have considered.
• Do a walkaround with an audit checklist to see which areas can be improved for energy-efficiency. Putting a long-term action plan in place will help you budget and work out what needs prioritising.