Locating The High Energy Consuming Devices That Are Costing Your Business Money

With energy bills soaring over the last couple of years, businesses are beginning to feel the pinch of ever increasing overheads. Even for a smaller business, the annual energy bill could represent a significant spend. In order to ensure that these business energy bills are kept as low as possible, it is important to look at using smarter energy solutions and make changes in terms of those high energy consuming devices that are costing your business more than they need to. 

Which electricals are the most expensive to run?

One of the most expensive electricals that many businesses are still running, and there really is no need to be, is lighting. This doesn’t mean that your employees need to work in the dark, but an alarming number of businesses still haven’t made the move to energy saving bulbs. It’s easy to see the logic, if you have a lot of lights then replacing them all will seem like an expense you could do without. However, the energy saving from making the change will more than offset the cost of new bulbs. 

Some of the other high energy consuming devices that businesses are using may be provided by employers to improve facilities in their offices for employees. Whilst this is good in terms of boosting morale and productivity, it can certainly be increasing their bills. If you provide shower facilities (particularly common for businesses that participate in cycle to work schemes) then this is one of the larger electric overheads you may be facing. A fridge freezer for staff usage is also another as is a television in your break room or chill out area. While we are not suggesting businesses should refrain from providing such facilities, it may be worth looking at the most low energy ways of doing so.

When it comes to those electricals that businesses do need it is unsurprising that computers and laptops, which are often the lifeblood of any company, make up a significant amount of a businesses energy consumption. The average PC used 1.3 kWh of electricity for three hours of running time; that works out at around 7p per house or approximately 58p for a full day (assuming no overtime). Whilst that figure alone may not seem too alarming, if you have around 20 PCs then over the course of a year they could be adding around £2900 to your energy bill.

How can you reduce your energy costs?

Identifying those devices that consume the most energy is a great starting point, and once you have done this the next step is to work out how you can reduce your energy consumption. 

If you are not using energy efficient light bulbs, then this is the first change you can make. You could also add signs near your lights to remind people to turn off the lights when not necessary or when leaving a room. 

If you have a fridge freezer for your employees to use then make sure it is an energy efficient one, there are also steps that you can take to make sure it is using energy efficiently. These include cleaning the coils underneath the appliance once a year, regulating the temperature of the room where it is and ensuring it is running at optimum temperature. 

One of the biggest ways in which you can help yourself is to work with your business energy supplier and work out a cost-saving strategy. This is something that will help you to minimise your consumption of energy based on your consumption habits. 

Also Read: Energy-Efficient Lighting: The Power Of LED Floodlights