A significant percentage of the United Kingdom’s C0₂ emissions come from energy used in everyday life, whether at home, in the office or during travel. Saving energy at work is just as important as saving energy at home, especially as more C0₂ emissions are generated in the workplace.
Rising energy costs affect an organisation’s bottom line so it makes business sense to keep operating costs to a minimum whilst helping to protect the environment as well.
Lighting
On average, 25% of an organisation’s totals electricity bill can be attributed to lighting. An essential for the workplace, it is still possible to cut the amount of electricity used for lights and lamps.
Energy efficient lighting can help to shave around a third off the bill. Use energy efficient light bulbs wherever possible in the workplace to save budget and energy.
Occupancy sensors can be installed so lights are switched off when a space is not being used. Commonly installed in bathrooms and kitchens, occupancy sensors can be used all around the workplace to reduce lighting costs by up to 30%.
Daylight sensors are another nifty gadget which detect when there is enough natural light to illuminate a space or room. Light sensors can switch off, or dim, artificial lighting when natural light is doing the job itself, helping to keep energy usage to a minimum and without interrupting anyone’s working life.
Office Equipment
Office equipment appears in most workplaces and tends to use a significant amount of energy. From PCs and printers to photocopiers and coffee machines, there are plenty of pieces of office equipment to which energy saving measures could be applied.
It is estimated that around 15% of all the electrical energy used in UK offices is from everyday equipment so there is large potential to reduce consumption and cut costs
Upgrading existing equipment is one way of saving energy. More and more office equipment with improved energy efficiency ratings is available to purchase so it might be time for an upgrade. Upgrading old computer monitors is an easy way to save energy and money.
Office equipment also needs some TLC, helping it to perform more efficiently and even last longer. Make sure all electrical bits and bobs are properly maintained with frequent checks from qualified engineers.
You can also help your staff to minimize energy consumption simply be ensuring everyone knows how to carry out simple but effective energy cutting measures, such as using standby mode on office computers, switching equipment off each night and generally being energy aware.
Heating and Hot Water
Heating and hot water roughly account for a whopping 60% of total energy costs for a business. Cutting energy consumption in these areas could equate to significant savings and there are some simple ways of doing so.
Maintenance is important and ensuring equipment, such as boilers, are frequently serviced will ensure everything functions as efficiently as possible. If your workplace uses more than one boiler then use a boiler sequence control that fires as few boilers at the same time as possible, helping to save even more business electricity and energy.
Jennifer is a part of the digital blogging team at cashzilla.co.uk who work with a growing number of finance brands. For more information about me, or to keep up to date with the latest in finance news, check out my posts at cashzilla.co.uk or visit my Twitter account, @cashzilla.
