Energy consumption is a major component of any business organization’s overhead. When costs are high, it can be difficult for businesses to stay competitive with other firms. The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to help your company lower its cost of doing business by lowering its energy usage.
Here are some top tips for reducing your company’s energy usage:
- In some situations, like in a warehouse, lighting is a significant cost driver. Therefore, using LED low energy lighting can help reduce costs and improve your carbon footprint.
- If you are using a lot of energy during off-hours, think about buying in bulk and try to schedule your usage to match the hours when you’re paying lower rates.
- Try to consolidate trips whenever possible. Be aware of how much fuel your company is using when employees travel for business. Utilize modern technology to reduce travel costs, for example, encourage the use of video conferencing to replace face-to-face meetings.
- Install motion sensors for lights in dark corners that are rarely used.
- Assess the efficiency and the operation time of all the machinery in your building to determine how much they contribute to overall energy consumption and find ways to improve these stats.
- Add daylight sensors to lighting and outside light fixtures; lights will be automatically switched off when not needed.
- Track your business performance to see how you’re doing regarding energy use per square foot/per employee. If you are working out of a large office space, you can repurpose some of the vacant space into a conference center that can be used for meetings and other activities that do not need private offices. Meeting rooms are great for video conferencing as well as teleconferencing and training seminars.
- Involve employees in the process of improving energy efficiency. For your business to succeed, you need to create a culture of sustainability.
- Reward employees as energy reduction targets are met. Any changes to working practices will need your employees’ support – therefore, it makes sense to reward teams when targets are met. Otherwise, why would your teams work hard to make the changes?
- Introduce an energy management software or ERP that will manage your energy consumption and give you a real-time overview of your business energy costs.
- Think about the products and services you offer and whether or not they are sustainable. If not, then you should start looking for more sustainable alternatives that your clients will like and that are just as good (or better).
- If you’re going to be replacing any of your equipment, think about how much energy the equipment is using and what kind of energy it uses (e.g., solar power, kinetic power, etc.).
- Think about energy efficiency when you make purchasing decisions. If the purchase is not cost-effective or if the product is not going to be used to its full potential, then don’t buy it.
- Switch to a less carbon-intensive fuel if possible.
- Use low-flow showerheads and low-flow toilets. These products help conserve water, which is becoming scarce in many parts of the globe. More efficient use of water will also lower your utility bills by lowering the amount of water that is used by plumbing fixtures.
The bottom line is that reducing your energy usage can be worth the cost. If you are cost-conscious and concerned about your business’s carbon footprint, you will be able to save a lot of money and help protect the environment as well. Reduce your energy usage, and you will reap the benefits in business performance, profitability, customer satisfaction, and overall success.