The corporate sector and the global consumer market have increasingly become environmentally conscious, a change that has seen many people, companies, and organizations making more eco-friendly decisions. Energy-saving is one of the areas that businesses are focusing on as they seek to play their part in preserve nature and all its beauty and what it has to offer. If you are thinking of cutting down the energy bills for your company, Josco Commercial Energy have put together a few handy tips worth considering.
Use Energy-Efficient Lights
Far better and more energy-efficient solutions have superseded the traditional incandescent bulbs. The former lighting option that generates light by heating a thin metal filament has dramatically been replaced by fluorescent lamps (CFL) and later by LEDs. The CFLs were a welcome alternative since they reduced energy usage and had a longer lifespan. However, their LEDs that soon followed offers a far better solution, being more cost-effective and energy-efficient. The LEDs offer the following benefits compared to the CFLs and Incandescent bulbs:
- LEDs require around 1 – 3 watts to generate light. That means they are highly energy-efficient than the CFLs, halogen lamps, and incandescent bulbs. A business sees a cost-cut of nearly 94.5% by switching to LEDs.
- LED lamps do not generate heat when emitting light; therefore, there is very little wastage of energy.
- LEDs convert a significant amount of the little energy they consume into light that is within a visible spectrum. They, thus, require less power to generate the same sable light that CFLs and incandescent bulbs need.
- The light spectrum the LEDs produce does not include infrared or ultraviolet rays that are not visible to the human eyes.
- LED lights have a lifetime of nearly 50,000 hours, which amounts to roughly 12 years. That means switching to LEDs will see your business save on the costs of replacing bulbs and the man-hours needed for the same.
- The LEDs are not made from toxic materials; thus, the manufacturing process is more eco-friendly. Moreover, these lighting solutions are more easily recyclable once their life expires. For instance, fluorescent bulbs require the use of mercury.
According to Sophy Fearnley-Whittingsall of Good Energy, sustainable sourcing of energy, and energy-saving go together, and they can impact the business’ bottom line. As such, switching the lighting solutions to more energy-efficient bulbs is one of the most cost-effective and environmentally-friendly changes any company can make.
Promote Energy-Efficiency Amongst The Staff
The decisions people make regarding power consumption, such as leaving monitors on overnight, place a significant role in the high energy bills. Businesses should invest in promoting and enforcing best practices that advocate for better energy usage. Aside from turning the computers and monitors off overnight, workers should also be encouraged not to leave lights when they vacate rooms. They should unplug their mobile phone chargers and other energy conservation practices such as only boiling water when they need to make a hot beverage.
Minimise Artificial Lighting
Try to make the most of the daytime light. Draw the curtains and blind back to allow the natural light in and cut the dependency on the artificial lighting. Let the artificial lights be used in areas that need it, like when using a desk lamp. It is a measure that will require the employees to be more proactive regarding better usage of energy. In some instances, companies invest in automatic sensors that turn lights on and off when a person enters or leaves a room.
Only Print What Is Needed
Print costs in many companies are often high, more so among the businesses that use semi-professional or consumer devices. You should encourage your employees to only print what they need. For instance, then can limit the printing of emails, which most contain color-heavy logos that will demand a lot of power to print. Much of the print job should be done in grayscale unless the printed materials are required in color.
Reduce Heating Costs
Expert surveys suggest that turning down the thermostat by as much as one degree can help lower the cost of heating and cooling by nearly 8% annually. The Carbon Trust suggests keeping the thermostat at 19 degrees and for employers to encourage the staff to wear warmer clothes to work during the cold months. The radiators should have a clear light of sight for efficient circulation of the heat they generate, and for the heaters in unoccupied areas like the storage facilities to be turned off. Moreover, the heating systems should be serviced regularly so that they are do not have a poor performance that causes them to use up a lot of energy, thus increasing the utility bills.