Energy savings tips for small businesses
Whether your business operates with a few staff members from small premises or employs a large workforce across several sites, being mindful of how and when you use gas and electricity is vital when looking for ways to save money on your business energy.
Reducing your energy usage could have multiple benefits for your business, such as:
- Save money on business energy bills
- Increase your profits
- Help the environment
- Improve the perception of your business
The great news is that many of these savings can be made with a few simple changes to your routine.
11 simple ways to help your small business save energy today
Do you feel like you should be more conscious about your energy habits? Are you looking for ways to cut costs without impacting the quality of your products or services? Then check out our energy-saving tips below.
1. Assess when you’re heating your premises
Think about when you most use electricity and gas at your business and weigh up if you need to heat your premises at those times.
If you're on a standard fixed tariff and leave the heating on overnight or when rooms are empty, this can be a huge waste of energy and money.
Instead, turn on the heating an hour before people enter the building so it's warmed up enough to start the day. Then, set the heating to go off about an hour before people are due to leave. The residual heat should be enough to keep the place warm until everyone's gone.
If you do need to heat your building overnight - say you have shift workers in the building - then it's worth considering a time-of-use tariff that offers cheaper rates at certain times.
Another simple yet effective business energy-saving tip is to turn your heating down by one degree.
You probably won't even notice this tiny temperature difference, but what you will notice is a saving on your business energy bills as a result. Just taking your thermostat down a notch is a quick way to start saving and could slash your heating bills by as much as 10%.
2. Switch appliances off
Do you notice that you tend to leave appliances on standby rather than switching them off completely? We’ve all done it, whether accidentally or on purpose, and it hardly seems a big deal.
But, when appliances are left on standby, they’re still using energy. If you’re not using the appliance, then this is a waste of energy and money.
"Switching appliances off when you’re finished with them makes a difference when you want to cut your gas and electricity costs. When you next clock off, make sure you turn off your computer monitors, lights and any other unused appliances on your premises." - Ed Whitworth, Head of Energy Performance.
3. Pay attention to the weather
Another way you can save energy is to take a closer look at your business thermostats and adjust them according to the weather conditions outside. If it’s a hot day and rooms don’t need to be heated, then turn the thermostat down or off and you’ll be saving money in no time.
Domestic and business energy usage usually drops during the summer months as there's less need for lighting and heating (though cooling costs can add up). Simply being conscious of the weather outside and adjusting your thermostat accordingly can help make sure you’re more cost-efficient.
4. Install a smart meter to save
Smart meters are a great way to keep control over your business energy bills, largely because they help you see where and when energy is being used.
A smart meter lets you see how much the energy you use is costing you, meaning you can curb your consumption and cut your business gas and business electricity bills.
5. Be mindful of water costs
60°C is the optimum temperature for hot water, so if you notice that you’re running water that’s hotter than that, a few issues can arise.
Running water hotter than 60°C can be a health and safety risk for your staff or anyone using the supply – a trip to A&E to treat scalded staff isn’t good for anyone. Injuries aside, it could also leave you wide open to a costly business insurance claim.
You’ll also be wasting energy too. Water heated to 60°C gets the job done without wasting energy. You could also think about installing touch-free taps to help make sure water is used more efficiently too.
6. Turn off lights when not in use or fit light sensors
Another easy way to save energy is to make sure you switch lights off whenever you leave a room. Simply advising staff to turn off lights when they leave an empty room or when leaving at the end of the day makes all the difference.
You can also take advantage of natural light during the day. If it’s a bright, sunny morning or afternoon and the overhead office lights aren't making too much of a difference, pull back the blinds to make full use of the sunlight
Many businesses also opt to install light sensors in areas like storerooms and toilets because they are low-traffic areas that only need lighting for short spells.
7. Encourage all staff to be energy-aware
Decreasing our energy usage is something we all need to think about to cut costs and help the environment.
A study published on Energy Live News claimed that 68% of employees now thought about their energy usage more mindfully at work. But there’s still work to be done. That’s why you should talk to your staff about energy-saving initiatives and explain why it’s so important. You could think about things like incentives and rewards or words of encouragement to spur them on to get involved.
8. Draught-proof your building
If you work on ensuring your premises are well insulated, then there will be less need for expensive heating costs. Draught-proofing doors and windows is a cheap but effective way to save money on gas and electric bills as it limits the amount of heat that can escape and stops cold air from getting in.
Making simple changes and taking time to inspect your premises to see if there are any gaps or cracks where draughts could come through will make all the difference. Savings will be reflected in your monthly business electricity and business gas bills.
If you have the money available, it's always worth considering double-glazing, loft and wall insulation too.
9. Go paperless as much as you can
Sometimes we don’t actively think about how many documents we’re printing and how much paper we’re using each day. And we very rarely consider how much electricity is being used to activate the printer.
As more and more businesses go paperless, you could maybe think about if this option is viable for you too. Going paperless can be a great cost-effective solution if you find that you can email digital receipts or read a document online instead of printing.
10. Request an energy audit
Energy audits can be incredibly helpful, and your current energy supplier will be able to help you get started. By taking part in an energy audit, you’re ensuring that you know exactly where you are using the most and how you can cut this down. It’ll help you take full control of your spending.
Many energy suppliers offer audits to help your business pinpoint exactly where you can save power and how you can do this. Just contact your current supplier to find out more and get started. For more information, including how you can carry out an audit yourself, check out our guide to business energy audits.
11. Switch energy suppliers
No matter how happy you are with your current energy supplier, they may not be providing you with the best deals, especially if you've let a fixed-rate contract expire without arranging a new one. This means you'll be on your supplier's out-of-contract rates. These are variable rate tariffs that usually come with much higher unit rates and standing chargeshttps://bionic.co.uk/business-energy/guides/standing-charges/ than fixed-rate contracts.
Similarly, if you move into new business premises without sorting an energy contract, you'll be on more expensive deemed rates. You can find out more about this in our business relocation and Change of Tenancy (CoT) guide.
If you want to do a little more for the environment, it's worth considering a green energy deal or even putting your own renewable energy technology in place.
For more information about how you can save energy and cut your business gas and electricity bills, call our Bionic experts on 0800 540 4943 and see how we can help you. Or leave your postcode on our business energy page and we’ll give you a callback.