How much do you spend on your energy bill every month? Although businesses now pay lower electricity bills than they did 10 or 20 years ago, their energy bill still takes a huge chunk of their monthly profits. That should stop now because it is a waste of money and because it has a negative impact on the environment. Lowering your monthly energy bill will not only benefit your business. You will also help the environment recuperate since the heat index around the world has been ballooning in recent years.
Fix Every Broken Appliances and Equipment Immediately
You don’t mind that you’re using your air conditioning even if it has water leaking from it. After all, you don’t have time to have someone over to fix it. Besides, someone told you that it would work well like that for a couple of more weeks until you find the time to address the problem. Funny enough, what that someone didn’t tell you is that the air conditioner is working harder. This means that it uses more energy than it normally does. When that happens, your electricity bill will increase. Repair your AC as soon as possible.
Switch to Energy-efficient Models
From your heating and cooling systems to the exhaust fans in your bathroom to the refrigerator in the pantry, make the switch to newer models already. Sure, that requires an upfront payment of a couple of thousands of dollars, but you will realize the progress you make after receiving your bill post-installation. You can half what you normally pay the utility company when you switch to greener appliances. Some even say that you can save as much as 75% of your energy consumption when you switch to newer and more energy-efficient models.
Upgrade Your Lights
This is actually one of the first things you should have made when LED lights were introduced to the market. LED bulbs, for example, can produce light that’s 90% more efficient compared to regular bulbs, while CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) will only consume between 25% to 35% of the usual energy consumption of non-LED and non-CFL lights. You will notice a big difference in your energy consumption when you make the switch. You might also want to use motion-detecting lights so that they will turn off when no movement is detected from the area where they are installed.
Install a Solar Window Film
An office should have curtains and drapes to block out the sun. However, these can sometimes look too heavy for a professional setting such as an office or store. The better option is to install a solar window film because they can unload the pressure for your air- conditioning unit to cool down the space. The best thing about it is that your employees can still see outside the window, as opposed to if you cover them up with heavy drapes and curtains.
However, you can also opt to open the windows when the weather outside is fine. Turning off the heating and cooling system for a while will decrease the amount of electricity you are using. So, make it a habit to know the exact temperature your employees are comfortable with so you can utilize the temperature outside the office.
Seal Windows and Doors
Your office’s energy bill is high because air gets out through the leaks in windows and doors. An area can lose up to 30% of cooling and heating because of crevices and holes. Make sure there is no space where the air can get out. Anyone can fix these leaks through weatherstripping or caulking. So, take time out from your busy schedule to inspect if the spaces around your doors and windows have air leaks.
Install Skylights
Another way to save on energy costs in the office is not to use too many artificial lights. But how are you going to work without lights? You can opt for a skylight if your office is on the top-most part of the building. You will only need artificial lights in the areas in the office the natural lights cannot reach. Offices with skylights can save up to 20% of their energy cost in a year.
These are just some of the basic steps you can take to reduce the cost of the energy you use in the office. By doing the right things and committing to do them every single day, you will save money you can use to expand your business operations and improve your marketing techniques. One of the first things businesses had to do during the pandemic was to determine how they could reduce their operational expenses.