Business Energy Tips for 2020
The new year is a great time to reflect on how well your business is doing. A new year provides the perfect opportunity to make some changes and improvements and to set some new goals for your business. An important consideration for all businesses should be its environmental impact alongside its expenses and costs. A way to improve both of these aspects is to lower energy usage.
Improving your business’ energy efficiency is not only great for the planet but will also save money on energy bills. Understanding your business’ energy usage and taking steps to become more energy-efficient can benefit your business in a range of ways such as; lower carbon emissions, reduced costs, and enhancing your brand image. If you’re not sure how to achieve this, here are a few simple tips that can help you have an energy-efficient business in 2020.
Conduct a Commercial EPC Assessment
A non-domestic or commercial Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a certificate which details the energy efficiency of a commercial property. All commercial buildings including factories, offices, retail premises, and public sector buildings, must have an EPC certificate whenever they are built, sold or rented. Because of this legal requirement, all commercial EPCs must be carried out by a trained and accredited non-domestic energy assessor.
Commercial EPCs include legal information, asset rating, brief technical information, and any benchmarks. Commercial EPCs also include recommendations on how to improve a building’s energy usage. Performing these recommendations can boost a property’s market value and assured energy ratings are more likely to bring in long-term tenants. Knowing the various ways your building can be improved upon to gain higher energy-efficiency is valuable information. Following a commercial EPC’s recommendations will save you money on energy bills and create a greener business for the planet.
Upgrade Your Utilities
The new year is a great time to relook at your budget. Upgrading to new equipment and appliances in your business is a great way to increase energy efficiency. Keeping equipment and appliances up-to-date will allow you to ensure everything maintains a good energy rating level. Although replacing appliances and equipment may seem costly, the savings you will make in energy usage will more than cover any initial costs. Laptops, in comparison to desktop computers, use up to 80% less energy. This is an example of a change worth making.
Reconsider Your Lighting
Lighting contributes a large portion to energy bills. There are many ways that this amount can be lowered. One easy way is by substituting incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) which use less energy for the same lighting output. Installing lighting fixtures that have a dimmer setting is another great way to control energy usage as they allow you to adjust the intensity of the light in a room. Installing motion detectors to control the lighting in frequently unoccupied areas is another recommendation that could significantly lower the amount of energy usage your lighting requires.
Improve Your Heating and Cooling Systems
A lot of energy is used in heating up a space. Ensuring your business space is entirely airtight will help to prevent any unnecessary heat loss which results in unnecessary energy usage. It is also helpful to properly insulate walls and ceilings, as well as any water heaters and supply pipes.
Installing a programmable thermostat is another great option so that you have greater control over your heating. Programmable thermostats will maximise your energy efficiency and allow you to keep room area temperatures at 18°C during winter and 25°C during summer and only when occupied.
Invest in Solar Power
Invest in a solar power system for your business to help save on your energy bills while at the same time helping the environment. Solar power is rapidly growing in popularity in the UK thanks to feed-in tariff (FIT) subsidies and the falling cost of the photovoltaic (PV) panels that are needed to produce solar power. Once a solar system is set up it can immediately start to provide your business with free energy. So, although the initial costs may be high, you will start to save money straight away on your energy bills.
Energy-efficiency is key to a thriving business in 2020. Whenever you save energy on your business you are also saving money. You are also contributing to a greener planet which is becoming a more and more popular concern for consumers. Therefore, we hope these tips will help your business be as energy-efficient as possible in 2020!
