With energy prices on the rise, up to 50%, according to the Australian Energy Auditor, it is imperative to get things in order at your business. When you go through your monthly expense report, you will see that a large chunk of change goes out for utility bills every month, especially the energy bills that are needed to keep you in business.
It may not seem like much can be done on your part since the cost increases are out of your hands, but that is not the case. There are always ways to cut costs. The most challenging part will be to train your employees to follow energy-saving guidelines, but then again, there are some ways around that as well.
Let’s jump in and find out 5 ways to reduce energy costs at your business in 2023.
Energy Saving Equipment
Depending on your business type, there may be a substantial amount of office equipment, scanning devices, cameras, and cash registers around. All these items will need power hooked up to them, and if they are constantly running, they will need energy to work. This is where most of your expenses may go, so invest in energy-star-rated equipment. The more energy efficient they are, the cheaper your final bill will be.
If you have coolers on-site, air-conditioning units, furnaces for heat, or any other unit that draws energy, you need to keep them maintained. They will not take as much power to run if they all work correctly. Proper maintenance is essential for many reasons, including reducing energy usage, so ensure all the equipment you have invested in is energy efficient and running at its full potential.
Use Renewable Resources
There are many energy providers in the area that may be making the switch to using renewable resources, such as the sun and wind. In today’s environmentally conscious world, it is essential for you, as a business, to show that you care about your company’s footprint on the environment. If the energy provider you have chosen to work with is in the process of switching, that is just as good as long as they are showing progress toward the ultimate goal.
Of course, you can always take a more significant step and begin making your own energy. There are many ways to do it, depending upon where you live, but let’s say that you live in an area with substantial amounts of sun. Putting up some solar panels on the roof and the equipment and batteries needed to make the switch work is an investment that will yield a great return.
Compare Energy Providers
One of the most significant ways that you can see a difference in your business energy bill is to take the time to compare all the energy providers in your area. The best way to do this is to use a comparison website that does all the work for you. For example, the iSelect compare electricity platform will take a small amount of information from you. Then, the AI-driven system will match you with partner sites that work with you.
Once you have all the offers in front of you, it is a simple process to go through them all and choose the best one. It is essential here to take some time and go into a quiet area of the business. You want to read through the entire offer or contract and see the specifics. You want to pick a couple of the best and then compare them by cost. Since you read the whole proposal, including the small print, you will already know if there will be an increase soon. You can compare each provider and pick the one that works the best for you and your business.
Control Your Usage
Just like when you are at home, it is important to control your overall energy usage. Simple things can significantly impact your bill, such as turning off all the lights when not needed. Another thing that you can do is make sure all your equipment is turned off; if they can be turned off, that is. Even if you run a retail store, things can be switched off when not in use.
Training your employees to follow your guidelines will be the most challenging part of this learning process, but if you find that they are not cooperating at all, you can install smart technology into your business. Light switches with sensors can be installed, so they turn off when no movement is detected. A smart thermostat can be installed that is only programmable through an app on your phone. Plus, many other options are available, and as innovative technologies continue to improve, the sky will be the limit.
Use Energy Audits
Hire a professional energy auditor to come in and check out your energy consumption. They have the equipment to hook up to your energy inlet and see what is going on. They will be able to pinpoint where most of your energy is going, which will give you a plan of action to follow to decrease the usage.
Another great thing about using these professionals is that it will show if your big equipment is not operating correctly. This is done by checking to see if there has been a spike in usage from one device, such as your walk-in cooler. If the energy usage has spiked, it is a sure sign that something is not working correctly, which can then be fixed before it goes completely out on you.
Final Thoughts
What it all boils down to is awareness and discipline. You need to train yourself to follow as many energy-saving tips as possible while still maintaining enough energy usage to properly run your business. If you have employees, it is essential that they also be taught how to conserve energy and follow up with them to make sure that they are.
As the old business saying goes, “Always believe, but verify.” That means that even if they tell you that a light is off, verify it yourself. That is the only way to ensure that your business uses the least energy possible.