How to Save on Your Utility Bills and Decrease Small Business Costs?

decrease small business costs

In a world where the prices of gas and electricity seem to soar every year, your small business costs may start to exceed what you originally budgeted for. While you’ve no doubt factored in certain expenses, it’s hard to predict just how the costs of your amenities are going to affect your cash flow.

However, these are essential and you cannot reasonably do without them. As well as basic electricity requirements to run everything from a computer to a lightbulb, you’ve got staff to consider. In winter they need to be warm and in the summer, they need to be kept cool. But there are ways to reduce your small business costs to a more manageable level, and one that impacts either your bottom line numbers or the comfort and well-being of your staff.

Paying for the basics

When it comes to dealing with the absolute essentials such as gas and electricity, the simplest approach is to shop around. While it might take a little time, it’s time that’s well spent, as it could result in saving you significant sums of money.

There are plenty of online comparison websites on the Internet, where you can check out just how much you’re paying per unit with your current provider in comparison to other suppliers. And it’s not something you can only do once; if your new supplier is suddenly beaten in the value for money stakes, then switch again.

This approach will really pay off in the months when your demand for power is increased, such as powering air-conditioning in the summer months or central heating when the temperature drops.

Landing in hot water

While we’re on the subject of things like central heating, it’s well worth checking out just how efficient your business’s boiler is. It’s too easy to take hot water and heating for granted without considering just how they’re adding to your small business costs every time they’re used.

Boilers aren’t cheap, but a good one can increase the efficiency of the system as a whole and save you around $300 a year. Again, there are plenty of consumer sites where you can get the lowdown from other users. It’s also worth considering installing a programmer and thermostatic radiator valves so that you really get your money’s worth.

Go green!

Believe it or not, it’s possible to almost entirely equip your office with energy-saving gadgets and gizmos. From simple energy-saving bulbs to environmentally friendly desktops, servers, and printers, these tools not only reduce the size of your carbon footprint, but can also save you significant sums of cash too.

In addition, if you’re able to then you might want to consider investing in more ‘hard-core’ green equipment such as solar panels or even size-appropriate wind turbines. You just might need to get a smart electric meter in order to properly measure electricity. As of yet, there’s no tax on sunshine and wind, so you might as well reap the benefits! This can be an important part of decreasing your small business costs.

Some of these suggestions won’t be affordable for start-up businesses, but there are methods available to practically anyone to help cut the cost of running a company that doesn’t cost a cent. Using your bookkeeping software, check out just how much it costs you per year to power your business. Then, take a look at some online comparison sites and work out how much you could save yourself; you might be surprised.