This week marks the Big Energy Saving Week for the UK, which is all about finding ways and sharing tips on how to save more energy. Any business with even small – medium sized premises uses a considerable amount of energy, so we thought we’d share a few simple tips on how you can reduce the amount you require in order to cut down this year – especially handy when prices are so high.
Lighting
Every building requires lighting, and unless you have particularly good natural lighting, it’s likely that your lights remain on throughout the duration of the working day. For some businesses, lighting alone can account for up to 40% of all energy costs!
Considering your lighting and creating a strategy around using them less is a fantastic way to reduce your energy consumption and costs as a business. You could switch older filament bulbs for LED bulbs, which save up to 86% on electricity. Or you could install motion sensors so that lights are only activated when people are occupying a certain space or room. Finally it’s important to remember that all unnecessary lights should be switched off each time they’re not in use – throughout a large building this can make a massive difference.
Insulation
It’s important that your building remains a suitable working temperature, which in the UK is a minimum of 16°C. The energy used to heat your building can be significant which is why it’s so important to make sure everything is well insulated.
Windows
Windows play a key role in the insulation of your building and could either be costing you unnecessary energy, or when considered properly can save you energy.
If your windows are old, they may be single glazed or have weaker edges that let more heat escape. By upgrading to modern double-glazed or even triple-glazed windows with new frames and edges, you can reduce heat loss by up to 94%! This makes it considerably easier to maintain that 16°C or above and will certainly lower the amount of energy required to do so.
Doors
Similar to windows, doors are also responsible for heat loss in commercial buildings, especially those where customers might be coming and going frequently throughout the day.
Replacing your old doors with new ones that have better frames and more effective seals could reduce your energy costs by up to 10%. Additionally, if you know that doors will be used frequently, it’s a good idea to install automatic doors and motion sensors to ensure that they are closed whenever possible.
Roof
Whether it’s insulation within your roof becoming old and less efficient, roof ventilation becoming blocked, or roof shingles being outdated and less efficient at keeping out wind, an old roof will cost your business significant amounts of energy.
By getting your roof upgraded or replaced entirely, you’ll save lots in the long run as it becomes much more effective at keeping heat in, and keeping the cold out.
After-hours Energy Reduction
Improving after hours energy usage can lead to big reductions in overall consumption and lower costs, as many appliances and systems could be running unnecessarily when nobody is on site.
Using a facilities management team, you can monitor what gets used outside of work hours and establish whether or not these are necessary. What’s more is that your FM team can ensure that those machines, devices, and appliances that do need turning off are switched off each and every day without fail to help you stop consuming excessive energy amounts outside of the working day.
The Big Energy Saving Week is all about sharing and creating awareness for reducing energy and energy costs. Hopefully your business can make use of some of these tips, and if you would like help streamlining your facilities management further, you can get in touch with us here for a free quote!