There are multiple advantages for any business that takes steps to improve its energy efficiency, not least the potential for significant reductions in overheads. Reducing your company’s negative impact on the environment goes down very well with customers and many businesses will also have an eye on the likelihood of future government legislation and making sure they comply with it ahead of time.
The drive for energy efficiency might have many roots – official regulation, pressure from campaign groups, and not forgetting advances in technology. But there is a lot more to do in this regard as concerns about climate change and energy security continue to top the political agenda.
Here are four practical steps that every business can take to improve energy efficiency:
Replacement Appliances
All businesses have numerous appliances on-site that don’t directly relate to work activities and these are often found in the staff canteen. If appliances such as kettles, fridges, washing machines are old or heavily-used they can be energy inefficient. So, when it is time to replace them it makes sense to do so with appliances that have an ‘A’ energy rating. Although these might cost (slightly, not significantly) more, they will pay that back quickly in terms of cost-savings and benefits to the environment. If you are located on Brentwood, Tennessee, and your appliances are not working properly, then call in Tim’s Appliance Company, they’ll have your appliances back in top working order in next to no time, and without breaking your budget.
It’s also worth pointing out that laptops use far less energy than PCs. Businesses needing to equip large numbers of staff with computers would do well to identify which of them could work equally well with a laptop. This also carries the benefit of increasing productivity since they could work from home or on the move.
Monitoring Progress
With the advent of what’s called ‘The Internet of Things’, which is to say introducing technology and electronics to all kinds of devices that allow them to communicate by connecting with a network, it is easier than ever to monitor energy consumption. So a business can, with some initial investment, see exactly what energy is used on every power socket and every machine from computers to photocopiers to fridges to dishwashers, at any time of day or night. That makes it simple to understand the impact of any changes it is making and therefore focus efforts and spending on where the ‘biggest wins’ are to be found.
Staff Involvement
When it comes to making green Improvements, it is a widely held belief that no initiative can be a success if the senior management is not on board. They need to lead by example. So, any changes such as turning off PCs at night or using a desk-mounted fan instead of air-conditioning should be led from the management team.
A useful strategy is for a kind of ‘Green Team’ to be appointed, with representatives from every department and involving a senior member of staff. With that key support in place, they can then devise initiatives, collect ideas from their departments and push projects to completion.
Don’t Ignore The Little Things
Even the smallest of changes can add up to savings, especially when the business is large and spread over multiple sites. A good example to help would be to install1ENightwatchman software. This allows IT staff to conduct updates remotely without the need for users to leave the computers on overnight. Also on your eco checklist should be: fitting low-energy bulbs when older models expire and turning the heating in factories and offices on a few days later, and off a few days earlier, every year.
Proactive solutions include checking for draughts, such as through badly-fitted windows or holes in walls, and sealing them up, improving your property’s insulation by adding spray foam insulation with the help of foam insulation contractors, and placing motion detectors in areas such as meeting rooms that aren’t in regular use, so that they aren’t lit, or heated, unnecessarily. The air-conditioning thermostat should be equipped with a timer that only one person is allowed to adjust and placed in an area of neutral temperature. Energy bills can be dramatically increased by just a tiny bit of overheating and these are all techniques that can avoid that.
