If you want to improve your workplace’s energy efficiency, an excellent place to start is with your appliances. Excessively using appliances can lead to exorbitant energy bills, and no company wants that!

Below are some tips for minimizing energy consumption in key areas in the workplace:

#1 Air Conditioning Unit

Running an air conditioning unit with a 10,000 BTU rating for an hour will cost 10p. Spacious office spaces will require a unit with a BTU of not less than 16,000, which means that you’ll be spending around 16p per hour to run it. On top of the unit price per kWh, you will also have to pay for the standing charge that your business utility UK will impose. However, if the energy supplier offers no standing charge tariff, you can avoid this.

If your office is exposed to bright sunlight for most of the day, you may even need a more powerful air conditioning unit with a higher BTU rating.

To maintain a comfortable temperature level in your workplace, you will need to blast your air conditioning unit for a greater part of the day. However, by practising simple steps, you can significantly reduce your monthly energy bill.

Here are some ways to save energy with your air conditioning unit:

• Turn down the thermostat by one degree Celcius. This can save your business as much as £80 per year. Your employees probably won’t notice, anyway!

• Encourage your employees to dress comfortably. During the summer, allow your team to dress down and wear lighter clothes. If people are wearing shirts instead of jackets, you won’t have to excessively cool the room.

• Keep windows shut. Before turning on the air conditioning unit, make sure that all windows are closed. This prevents heat from escaping, preventing your air conditioning unit from working twice as hard to cool the room.

• Set the thermostat to 20°C. According to the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers, the optimal temperature for offices in the United Kingdom is 20 degrees Celcius. Ideally, however, you should stick within the range of 16°C to 24°C.

• Place weather strips around doors and windows. This is especially true if your office is in an older building that hasn’t undergone major renovations in a long time. Doors and windows may have minor gaps around them that allow cold air to escape, and warm air to get inside.

#2 Lighting

Lighting accounts for approximately 15% of a business’s annual energy bill. The solution? Turn the lights off!

Many offices in the United Kingdom forget to turn off the lights when they leave at the end of the workday. If your employees accidentally leave the lights on, a gentle reminder now and then can help them develop the habit of shutting the lights. However, if your office needs to keep its lights on for whatever reason, there are still ways to minimize your expenses.

• Turn the lights off. It may seem obvious, but many people tend to forget to turn the lights off when they leave a room or when the room isn’t in use. Consider adding signs around your office to remind people to flick the light switch off. Place them in meeting rooms, pantries, lounges, and so on.

• Switch to LED bulbs. Ask utility suppliers and all of them will tell you that incandescent bulbs are not ideal for any home or office. Aside from being a fire hazard, incandescent bulbs use more energy. Replace all of the light bulbs in your office with LED bulbs. They are 90% more efficient and consume much less energy.

• Program the lights to turn off. Worried that your employees might forget to turn off the lights when they leave after a long workday? You can program your lights to automatically turn off during certain times of the day.

#3 Kitchen Appliances

It doesn’t matter if your office’s kitchen is tiny or massive. As long as it has appliances such as microwaves, toasters, electric kettles, coffeemakers, dishwashers, and so on, you are at risk of wasting money through poor habits. Here’s how you can lower the energy consumption in your office’s kitchen:

• Place the fridge 10cm away from the wall. Give your refrigerator space to breathe. If it is placed too close to the wall, heat will not be able to escape. This causes your fridge to work harder to cool the unit.

• Use the kettle sparingly. Ask your employees to boil water that’s good enough for five or six beverages at a time. This is more energy-efficient compared to boiling one cup of water every time that they need it.

• Use a microwave when possible. If you need to reheat your meals, opt for the microwave and not the regular oven nor the toaster oven. A toaster requires 1,200 to 1,800 watts, while a microwave uses only 750-1100 watts.

• Cover your pots with lids. Some offices in the United Kingdom allow their employees to cook. If your office is one of them, make sure that your employees are cooking smart. Remind them to cover pots with lids as this can save you around 3% in energy costs.

#4 Consider Switching Utility Suppliers

Pricey utility suppliers may be preventing you from saving money on your energy bill. No matter how committed your company is to practising sustainability, if your utility supplier is charging you excessively, your energy bills will always remain high. With watt.co.uk, you can conveniently compare utility prices to ensure that you’re getting the best price from the UK’s most trusted energy providers. Selecting the right supplier is one of the most effective ways to cut your company’s energy costs. To make the process smoother and easier watt.co.uk takes steps to switch business utility online.

Final Thoughts

Don’t waste more money because of poor energy-saving practices! With a little forethought, your company can save thousands of pounds in energy costs each year.

The secret to minimizing your costs is by actively making sure that sustainable practices are in place. Eventually, small changes in the team’s daily habits can lead to impactful results that not only benefit your company but the entire world. By saving energy at work, you’re taking part in a global movement to reduce carbon emissions.

Contact us today to discover how your business can save more energy.