Taking the initiative to save energy in your business is one of the best ways to increase your bottom line. Not only will you benefit from a lower electricity bill, but you’ll also create a better image for your business and contribute towards developing a more sustainable environment.
There are many ways to decrease the amount of energy your business needs to operate. Most of us know the basics, from turning off the lights to using energy-saving bulbs. But have you considered using motion detectors and automatic dimmers, or getting a programmable thermostat?
Unlike in an average home, businesses need more equipment and subsequently more electricity to run. As a result, there’s a lot more room for improvement. Here are 7 renewable energy tips for your business that you may not have thought of.
1. Take a Look at Your Windows
Every open window around your office is potentially increasing your energy bill by making your air conditioning work harder. Windows allow heat to enter, which could make it more expensive to keep your office cool. Consider adding awnings, high-reflectivity films or screen window shades to cut down on energy use in the summer.
Improperly sealed doors can have a similar effect. Reduce energy waste by installing or replacing old caulk, foam or weather-stripping around your doors. Be sure to take a look at BusinessComparison for further advice and assess any other openings between rooms that could be affecting your ability to regulate temperatures.
2. Go Solar
With the price of electricity only going up, it’s worth looking into business-oriented solar systems to at least partially, if not fully replace your traditional connection to the grid. To which extent you can achieve this largely depends on the size of your business and how much capital you have available.
Either way, your business will reap the benefits. Installing a solar system is equal to prepaying for around 40 years of significantly cheaper power. Most systems carry a warranty of around 25 years, but you can look to benefit from clean and quiet energy decades before any costly maintenance needs to be done.
Using solar power can also serve as a great marketing tool, as your business is able to express its participation in the drive to lower emissions and reduce your country’s dependence on foreign sources for energy. On a similar note, you should also find ways to use natural sunlight as much as possible to reduce your energy consumption during the day.
From opening the blinds to installing skylights, there are many ways to let in more natural light. Be sure to also assess your current lighting setup and determine where reductions can be made in overly lit areas.
3. Stick to Energy-Efficient Equipment
You may have noticed an “Energy-Star” logo on your computer, printer, scanner or fax machine in the office.
According to Neeeco’s Mass Save Energy Assessment, devices with this label can save you up to 50% in energy costs, as they’re designed to run more efficiently and to automatically power down when not in use for extended periods of time.
Be sure to take a look at old equipment in your office and replace anything that could be draining energy, such as outdated heaters and air conditioning units.
4. Install Programmable Thermostats
While it’s great to have air conditioning in the workplace, they tend to be expensive to run. A programmable thermostat can help by automatically adjusting temperatures during holidays and weekends. You can also create a schedule for weekdays with custom timing and temperatures for each season.
For example, setting your thermostat to no lower than 78 degrees during the summer and no higher than 68 degrees in winter can greatly reduce your energy bill. Even a change of just 1 degrees can drop your power usage by an impressive 10%.
Furthermore, you can time your heating or cooling system to turn on half an hour before everyone arrives and off around an hour before they leave. Carefully scheduling your air conditioning like this will further reduce your energy consumption.
5. Modernize Your Lighting
Hallways, meeting areas and a number of other spaces in your building probably don’t need to be lit all the time. Consider using automatic dimming controllers that will provide no more than the necessary amount of lighting you need in addition to motion detectors that will keep the lights off when nobody’s around.
If you haven’t already, be sure to swap out any incandescent bulbs in your office for compact fluorescent lamps. They produce just as much light while using much less energy. Wherever there are fluorescent lights, consider replacing excess units with reflectors to further reduce your power consumption.
6. Check Your Fridges
If not properly managed and maintained, your fridge(s) can significantly increase your power bill. Be sure to position them in cool, well-ventilated areas, away from microwaves and other equipment that produces heat. Also make sure that employees keep the fridges reasonably full with enough room for air to circulate.
Replace any worn out seals, keep the evaporator coils clean and ensure that there’s no ice build-up. If there are any walk-in freezers on your premises, installing strip curtains and automatic doors is a great way to further decrease your electricity costs.
7. Consider an Energy Audit
It’s likely that your utility company offers free energy audits to its commercial customers. While an audit may sound daunting, it will only benefit you in this case as they’ll help you find out not only where your power bill figure comes from, but also where adjustments can be made to improve the energy efficiency of your business.
Conclusion
It’s strange to think that it was only a few decades ago when most business owners barely took any consideration of their energy consumption. Fortunately, we’re now taking the right steps towards creating a more environmentally friendly economy that relies on sustainable sources of power to operate.
Keep in mind that there’s always room for improvements and that every opportunity should be taken to reduce your energy consumption. Whether it’s as simple as switching out the light bulbs or installing an entire new solar power system, every bit counts.
