Business expenses are no joke. There are many things you will need to handle before you can count your profits; from investing in new equipment and paying your monthly bills to issuing paychecks and covering your legal costs. If your goal is to run a successful and long-lasting company, you should try to reduce these costs as much as you can.
Of course, some expenses like taxes and legal fees are impossible to avoid, and reducing your employees’ salaries is never a good way to cut down business costs. So, out of all these things, reducing your business’s energy costs is by far the most ‘doable’ thing. The best part, it can save you anywhere from a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars a month.
However, it’s not easy to reduce your energy costs. Well, it’s not that hard either, but if you want to get a good return on investment, you need to know what you are doing. But don’t worry; that’s why we are here. Today, we have prepared a list of five energy saving tips that will significantly reduce the energy costs of your business. So, let’s begin.
Do an energy audit
First, you need to do an energy audit of your office space. Without it, you cannot know where the weak spots in your office are. Maybe windows are letting in too much cold or maybe the roof is poorly insulated and heats up quickly, you won’t know which area has a problem until you carry out an energy audit. Luckily, numerous licenced companies offer this type of service, and in most cases, they will do it for free for commercial properties. Therefore, there is nothing to lose.
Energy-efficient office equipment
Outdated office equipment can add a lot to your energy bill. So, if you are using some old hardware like computers, monitors, printers, and so on, it’s time for an upgrade. For example, the US uses Energy Star labels to classify their energy-efficient electronics. If a product is “Energy Star” certified, then it will help you save money and protect the environment because of its remarkable energy efficiency. Most of these Energy Star certified electronics come with features like automatic low-power mode, power management options, and overall better task performing options.
Motion-sensor and LED lights
Besides office electronics, lights are the next biggest energy consumer in commercial buildings. If your lights are on throughout the whole day and you are using regular light bulbs, don’t be surprised if you end up with an astronomical electricity bill. For example, some Australian studies show that one-fifth of electricity costs in commercial buildings come from irresponsible light use.
So, if you don’t want to be a part of this statistic, you need to make a couple of changes to your office space. First, switch from regular light bulbs to LEDs. If you ask any professional electrician in Sydney, this is the most common and cost-effective solution. This is the number one suggestions from top-rated companies like Glenco. Besides consuming less energy, LEDs last much longer and don’t heat up the room. Additionally, if you have some more money to spare, you should install motion sensor lights. This way, you won’t have to worry whether your employees have forgotten to switch off the lights in the bathroom, lounge room, and any other area that is not frequently populated.
Make use of natural light
While LEDs and motion sensor lights will help you reduce your energy bill drastically, sunlight will erase it completely. Sure, you cannot rely on natural light entirely, but you should make use of it as much as you can.
If your office space has enough windows and open space, you can get away with not turning on the lights for the entire first half of the day. As you can imagine, this will reduce your energy bill by a lot. So, pull away those curtains and let the sunshine in. Even better, sunlight will improve productivity in the office!
Invest in renewable energy systems
Finally, you should consider investing money in renewable energy systems like solar panels and windmills. It should be noted that this is by far the most expensive suggestion on this list. While renewable energy systems have become more affordable, they still require a decent investment.
Unfortunately, completely running your business on solar or wind energy is not quite possible if you have a huge company that operates with a ton of electronics. But if you are a small family-owned business, then installing a couple of solar panels might be a worthy investment in the long run.
Keeping your company’s energy costs to a minimum is not only a financially responsible thing to do but also environmentally. Of course, you don’t have to implement every single suggestion from this list. But if you do, the results will be incredible.
