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How your small business can save on energy bills

You can save how much?!

By DominicPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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How your small business can save on energy bills
Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash

For many businesses, small or medium, electricity costs will form a major part of their regular bills. This means that it makes sense to do everything you can to reduce them. With that in mind, here are some easy tips on how your small businesses can save on energy bills.

Switch out your lights for LEDs

LEDs lights are indisputably investment purchases, but the investment can usually be justified by the long-term savings. This is particularly true in offices, which often need to run lighting throughout the year.

Not only do LEDs use less energy than regular bulbs, but they can also be turned on and off remotely. This makes it much easier to ensure that all lights really are switched off at night.

By Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Get to grips with climate control

A lot of modern offices need some form of climate control, at least in summer and winter. You do, however, want to minimize its use. Generally, the most pragmatic way to do this is to set the thermostat to 20°C regardless of the time of year and have staff adjust their clothing as they see fit.

This approach should work with any dress code. For example, in a more formal office, staff can add or remove jackets. In a more casual one, by contrast, they might put on or take off jumpers. Staff should be able to cope with this without the need for extensive storage space for changes of clothes.

There is also another solution to this and that’s via air conditioning for offices. Especially when it comes to commercial spaces, having to alter the thermostat can prove to be problematic but having an air conditioning unit installed give you the ability to set temperatures and have more control over the air flow, quality of air and of course, the temperature throughout the entire year.

Maximize your insulation

If you’re running either your air conditioning or your heating, then keep doors and windows closed as much as possible. Check windows for any signs of loose glass or loose-fitting frames as these can lead to drafts. Use draft excluders to fill any gaps between window frames and walls and under doors.

Make sure that you have insulation wherever you need it and put reflective material behind radiators to encourage heat back into the room. You can buy proper “radiator heat reflector foil”, but really any reflective foil will do the trick (including aluminium foil).

Remember that radiators actually work by convection. This means that they need clear space around them to work effectively. Take this into account when considering your office layout and make your staff aware in case they rearrange the furniture themselves (e.g. for meetings).

By Alesia Kazantceva on Unsplash

Think about your window treatments

In summer, blinds are a great option for their flexibility. Your staff essentially have total control over the amount of natural light allowed into the room. In winter, however, curtains may be a better option because they offer more insulation (and also more soundproofing).

If privacy is an issue, you could try using regular curtains together with net curtains or privacy film. If you’re stuck with single glazing, you can buy “seasonal secondary glazing film”. This is often quite effective at reducing heat loss through windows.

Insist that all computers are turned off at night

This not only cuts down on the amount of energy they use, but it also improves your IT security. In simple terms, if a computer is completely switched off, it cannot be accessed by cyberattackers. Ideally, you should also switch off the rest of your IT equipment, particularly any “smart” devices. These are also potentially vulnerable to cyberattackers.

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About the Creator

Dominic

Dominic is the director of Chill Air Conditioning, which are specialists in air conditioning installations for both commercial and domestic use across East Midlands.

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