Energy bills are soaring across the UK and Ireland. Before prices begin stabilising, many businesses will crumble if they don’t put further measures in place. These days, cutting energy bills takes more than switching the lights off at the end of the day. Instead, smart thinking and clever tactics need to be deployed. Throughout this article, we’ve gathered together a short guide to cutting workplace energy bills.
Adjust Heating Setup
Despite extortionate energy costs, many businesses have thermostats set to keep constant temperatures for summer and winter. Although this keeps employees comfortable, it’s a nightmare for monthly energy bills. Instead, turn the heating off during the summer and only use it in winter when you need it – perhaps for a couple of hours in the morning.
As an alternative to traditional heating methods, a heat pump system is a great way to recycle existing heat. These ventilation systems work by taking fresh air from outside and blending it with warm air from inside. Then, fresh warm air is pushed back into the workplace to keep everyone warm. To find out more and to book an installation, check out this company offering heat pumps Ireland.
Use Natural Light
If your office benefits from direct sunshine, open the windows and let it flood your office. Natural light comes with many different benefits including boosted mental health and increased productivity, and that’s before seeing a reduction in your energy bills. Eventually, the sun will disappear, and you’ll need to put the lights on. However, you should invest in solar-powered lamps and give them a good charge during the day.
Power Down
Power-hungry tech is everywhere these days, and it’s often left on overnight. Instead of leaving your computer systems on overnight, which likely saves you a couple of minutes in the morning, turn everything off. The same goes for photocopiers, printers, chargers, and anything else you leave plugged into the wall unnecessarily. If you have employees working overtime, it’s not hard for them to turn the devices they need back on.
Motion Sensors
Your employees need to see, but does that mean every room needs to be lit up at all times? Relying on staff to turn lights off after using a room will end up costing you more, as someone will forget. Instead, install motion sensors in meeting rooms, bathrooms, staff rooms, and storerooms. Knowing that forgetful minds won’t add to the energy bill will be a huge weight off your mind.
Go Remote
If energy bills are crippling your business, perhaps it’s time to transition into a remote or hybrid workplace. Granted, you will face some upfront costs for cloud services, and it will take some time to train on new operations. However, you will eliminate overhead costs because there will be no one in the office.
Taking on smart energy-saving tactics will be the difference between survival and failure for many businesses over the coming years. If you’re not looking at existing processes, it’s time to make some changes.