London Business Energy Performance Tips

Energy efficiency isn’t just an issue for our homes. It’s also a vital factor that every business should consider if they’re serious about preserving natural resources, reducing energy bills and helping to ensure a better future for our children and grandchildren.

Thanks to the age of innovation that we live in, there are numerous pain-free ways that you can improve your energy performance without sacrificing business performance. In fact, these steps can help build your brand image and boost business performance.

Here’s are some of those ways.

1. Get an energy audit

When working to improve your energy performance, it’s essential to work from real facts and figures. An EPC from our London team can help you identify where your building isn’t as energy efficient as it could be and highlight ways that you can improve. This could include switching your lightings, heating, air conditioning and insulation. As many buildings in London are rather old, there are often significant areas of improvement.
The EPC is also a legal requirement for many properties and helps rate your business on a user-friendly, colour-coded scale for easy reference.

2. Use eco-friendly lighting

The simplest way to save money on your energy bills and become more energy efficient is to opt for energy-efficient lightbulbs. You might find that you work in an aged London office, distinct with inefficient, vintage light bulbs. These can be changed to newer bulbs. There are two main types as follows:

• LEDs (light-emitting diodes) – These use 90% less energy than traditional lightbulbs, offer fantastic light quality, last for 25 years and are available in a variety of sizes and fittings.
• CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) – These use 60-80% less energy than traditional bulbs and were the first type of eco-friendly lights

Remember that it’s also important to turn off lights when you’re not in the room and take advantage of natural daylight as much as possible. You could also consider installing sensor lights for additional energy efficiency.

3. Opt for energy-efficient air conditioning

Figures shared by the Carbon Trust suggest that air conditioning accounts for a massive 30% of average energy usage in an office, contributing to the overall carbon footprint of the office. Hot summers and inefficient insulation could mean that your London shop is building significant energy costs!

By replacing your air conditioning with more energy-efficient options which use heat pumps, water-cooled chillers and variable refrigerant flow systems, you can reduce your energy usage and slash your energy bills.

Factors such as design and layout of the building, heat generated by lighting and the required air temperature can also influence energy efficiency, so it’s worth considering how these could be optimised too.

4. Choose efficient heating

Properties across the UK use a substantial amount of energy for heating, especially during the winter months. However, there are many energy-efficient ways to heat a building which don’t have quite the same ecological footprint and can reduce bills too.

Consider buying a newer, more energy-efficient boiler and switch to a lower carbon fuel or technology wherever possible.

Programming your thermostats can help you control the times when your central heating goes on and minimise overall energy usage. Remember, there’s less of a need to keep your building warm when no one is there.

5. Improve the building envelope

Buildings in London can lose a huge amount of heat energy if steps haven’t yet been taken to prevent this from happening.

Improve your building envelope by adding insulation to the property, replacing windows and doors with double glazing and eliminating draughts can make a huge difference.

An EPC can help you identify issues with your building regarding energy loss and help you make those changes that can reduce bills and keep you more comfortable year-round.

6. Get your staff involved

As a business, you can also run schemes that help your employees feel like their actions make a difference. This will help reduce the ecological footprint of the building and the business as a whole whilst boosting the moral of your team and building community spirit.

Considering promoting recycling at work and ensuring that there are recycling bins around the building. Encourage staff to ride a bike, walk, or take public transport to work. Although this may be common in London, there are still ways to improve your carbon footprint. Remind them that they matter too, and you can help your business become more energy efficient.