Are you concerned with rising energy costs for your business? Maybe you’ve been tasked with the job of making your premises more energy efficient and you’re looking for a place to start?
Here at Great Annual Savings (GAS), we’d always recommend our customers get a full energy audit of their premises. But until then, here’s our checklist of the top 10 Energy Management tips to get you started.
Make sure the time and temperature controls for heating and cooling systems match your requirements.
Incorrect heating and cooling control settings can cause spaces to be overheated or overcooled, both major sources of energy waste. It might sound obvious, but always ensure your systems are programmed so your heating and cooling systems are never running at the same time. If they do, you’re wasting money.
This can be avoided by ensuring heating systems are set to no higher than 21°C and cooling systems no lower than 24°C, for example. Also remember that correct use of the time settings will ensure areas are not being heated or cooled outside of normal working hours. Fight out the time it takes for your building to heat up and adjust timings accordingly.
Utilise natural daylight to minimise reliance on electric lighting.
Recent studies by the Carbon Trust have found that businesses who utilise natural daylight in their buildings can save up to 19% on their lighting costs. When you consider that lighting often accounts for 15% of an office’s energy bill, it’s an easy and effective money saving solution.
Ensure your heating and hot water pipework are insulated to avoid heat loss and energy waste.
Insulating your on-site hot water pipes will minimise heat loss and ensure more of the energy you’re paying for gets to where it is needed, reducing your energy expenditure over time.
Make sure fridges and freezers are set to the correct temperature.
It’s not rocket science, the colder the fridge, the more energy you use. Make sure you set these temperatures correctly. Many businesses unknowingly have their fridges and freezers set to a colder temperature than required. Your fridge should be able to operate at 4°C and your freezer at -18°C.
Regularly monitor your energy use and compare it with historic trends.
By implementing a monitoring and targeting system (such as using the data from a smart meter), you’ll be able to identify key opportunities to reduce energy consumption.
Due to the extensive detail you receive from readings, it becomes easier to identify trends and the day-to-day activities incurring the most cost. Pinpointing these activities early will enable you to put into effect remedies to reduce consumption and minimise expenditure.
Switch off computers and other equipment at the end of the day when they’re not needed.
You might think any additional energy use from computers is minimal, however, a recent study by computer weekly proved otherwise. They found that in a company with 200 PCs, turning off all the computers and monitors every night and at weekends would save around £12,000 a year.
Install the most energy efficient lights both internally and externally.
For many businesses, energy is one of their largest overheads. Further to that, on average, lighting accounts for around 15% of most businesses’ electricity expenditure.
Energy saving lamps use 75% less electricity than standard types, provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer. Internal and external lamps can benefit from energy efficient upgrades.
Also consider installing automatic lighting controls to switch lights off when daylight levels are sufficient or areas are unoccupied.
Don’t lose heat through gaps in doors and windows.
Without the correct insulation or draught-proofing of your doors and windows, it won’t just be heat you’re losing through those gaps, but money. Draught-proofing to reduce unwanted air movement can also improve comfort levels substantially.
Close doors and windows when the heating is on.
If your premises become too hot, avoid opening doors or windows as a means of cooling things down and adjust the heating controls instead. Having a window or door open and the heating on will result in you using high levels of energy you don’t need.
Have your boilers and heaters serviced and checked for energy efficiency at least every 12 months.
Failure to effectively maintain and conduct regular health checks on your boiler has been shown to increase some business’ heating costs by as much as 30%.
Ensure they are serviced at least every 12 months and optimised for maximum efficiency.
What next?
Not ticking all the boxes?
Need help to steer your energy management strategy in the right direction?
Speak to GAS today.
Our highly qualified Energy Management team have a proven track record of working with businesses all of sizes to reduce their energy consumption, tighten up bills and maximise their carbon footprint.
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