As an entrepreneur, you no doubt understand the importance of keeping your business costs in check. However, one area that often doesn’t get enough attention when companies are trying to save money is energy bills. If you’re not careful, your business could end up shelling out much more than necessary on electricity and gas for your premises. To help you shave money off your energy bills, it pays to follow these four steps.
1. Put energy saving on the agenda with your staff
From leaving their computers and other devices on standby when they’re not in use to failing to turn lights off when they’re leaving rooms, there are a variety of wasteful habits that many workers are guilty of. On its website, business utilities expert Utility Bidder notes that by putting energy saving on the agenda within your company and getting staff on board with your goals, you can work together to cut your energy usage. Placing stickers or posters featuring energy savings tips around your workplace can help, and it’s worthwhile encouraging your staff members to make their own suggestions. As well as empowering your staff, making them part of the energy-saving process could also see them come up with some great ideas to make your workplace more efficient and greener.
2. Swap old equipment for new
When you’re getting new equipment for your office, from printers, photocopiers and PCs to fridges and kettles, make sure you go for models that have an impressive energy efficiency rating. You might also benefit from switching from traditional light bulbs to LEDs. According to the Energy Saving Trust, making this change can cut businesses’ lighting costs by up to 80 per cent. Think about having motion sensor lighting systems installed too. This means that bulbs only remain on when needed.
3. Consider moving to the cloud
This isn’t an option for all companies, but if you currently have servers or data centres on site, you might benefit from transitioning to cloud-based IT systems that remove the need for this physical infrastructure. It takes a lot of energy to run servers and keep data centres cool, so unless you need this equipment for security or technical reasons, moving to the cloud could be a good option.
4. Make sure you’re on the right tariff
Taking the above steps could lower your energy usage and therefore bring your bills down, but there’s another way to save money too. Take a close look at the tariff your energy provider has you on. If you’re on an uncompetitive rate, now’s the time to switch to a new supplier. Finding and moving to a new, better deal with a different provider might be much quicker and easier than you think, and there are specialist companies that can help you to find the most competitive agreement.
From changing the behaviour of your employees to ensuring you’re getting a good deal from your energy supplier, following these money saving tips could make a big difference to your company’s bottom line.
