Cutting carbon, cutting costs: simple ways to save your business energy.

According  to the government backed organisation Carbon Trust, small and medium sized UK businesses produce an annual energy bill of about £3.5 billion. They suggest that around 30% of this is generated by wasted energy, meaning a collective cost of £1bn is being spent unnecessarily.

Experts recommend that, instead of looking for a cheaper energy supplier, businesses should take simple energy efficiency measures that can lead to substantial savings. Here is a list of things you can do to reduce carbon emissions, and save your business money.

Replace your light bulbs with energy saving bulbs. These cost around £3.50 and typically last 12 times longer than regular light bulbs. According to Greenpeace, these will save you about £9 per bulb each year.

Turn of all PC’s fully overnight and at weekends. Government research suggests this would save £63 a year per computer.

Turn down your thermostat. According to The Energy Saving Trust, turning your thermostat down by just 1 degree will save you around £50 a year, and the difference is unlikely to be felt.

Turn off all lights and electrical equipment at night and during weekends. To further reduce unnecessary lighting, you may think about installing switches that activate through movement sensors.

Don’t leave equipment on standby. Some electric equipment may have ‘standby’ or ‘sleep’ modes, which still use around 70 per cent of their usual energy, so by turning them off fully you will be making significant energy reductions.

Position thermostats in areas with stable temperatures. Placing them in direct sunlight or near to equipment or machinery that gives off heat can result in over- or under-heated areas.

Turn off air-conditioning, heating, ventilation extraction, or compression units overnight. If it is possible, set these to a timer to ensure they are not being used when no-one is around.

Use natural light. To reduce the dependency on artificial lighting, make the most of windows wherever possible. Ensure they are clean, not blocked by furniture, and if they have blinds, that they are tilted to allow as much light as possible without interfering with business operations.

For further information and advice on energy efficiency, including how your small business can apply for an energy loan, visit the Carbon Trust website at www.carbontrust.co.uk/energy

Related Links:
Business Link – Enviroment & efficiency
Greenpeace – How to save the climate
The Energy Saving Trust – Top 10 energy saving measures