Save Energy – It isn’t Rocket Science

Unless you’re blasting off to work in space, saving energy isn’t rocket science. It takes a few small steps for business-kind to trim waste and cut bills.

WHY ARE WE WASTING?

Cutting energy waste doesn’t have to be rocket science. Businesses of all sizes can save on energy consumption with surprisingly little effort. Certainly a lot less than the 422 metric tonnes of total thrust it took to lift British astronaut Major Tim Peake into orbit this week!

Reducing waste benefits the environment and saves businesses money. According to a recent survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), energy efficiency measures can reduce small firms’ bills by 18-25%.

And the motivation is there. Nearly 80% of the firms questioned listed savings on energy costs as a key driver. However, although most businesses surveyed were keen to be energy efficient, only a fifth were offered advice on how to be.

IT PAYS TO BE A USE-LESS BUSINESS

Making the right choices is difficult without expert advice. However, there are some easy wins for businesses of all sizes if you decide to make a stand against waste.

Savings from individual appliances don’t sound much on their own but they can add up to big cuts in your bill. According to the Industry Voice blog businessgreen.com, a desktop computer left on for two hours a day costs 3p but if 100 PCs are idle for that amount of time it works out at £780 a year based on a five-day week.

Our top business energy-saving tips page describes 12 simple steps businesses can take immediately to trim down their energy consumption, from using LED lighting to switching off computers.

It’s not just offices that can benefit. Opportunities to save in retail and manufacturing include turning down heating, switching to compact fluorescent (CFL) lights, and boiling just a cup of water when individuals brew up.

TAKE CONTROL OF WASTE AND SAVE 20%

These small steps are just the start. Using an independent consultancy like Utilitywise opens opportunities for all businesses to make much bigger savings.

The Utility Management Plan (UMP) can save businesses 20% or more on energy consumption. It’s a one-stop solution that includes procurement packages that ensure your business is on the best tariff, your bill is correct, no money is owed to or from a supplier, and contracts make sense.

However, controlling waste is where true cost savings lie. The UMP puts small and large businesses in firmer control so they can stop wasting energy and water, and save money.

SMEs, for example, can use a 10-point process to see what their energy supply is doing compared to other similar businesses and monitor usage on a half-hourly or daily basis through smart dashboards.

SAVING DOESN’T NEED TO COST THE EARTH

There are many ways companies can reduce waste without making expensive investments. Controls can be put in place to turn your energy off automatically or manually using a smartphone, or switch appliances off and on, down or up.

Our utilities experts can also show businesses how to get your staff on board to help reduce your energy consumption. And with detailed reports of your energy use, the information will be there to advise you on what else you can be doing to save energy and waste.

Every business can benefit immediate by reducing waste. There’ll be more help from us in the New Year on how you can commit to getting energy fit.