The days are shorter and the mercury is dropping. Keeping your staff warm and your offices well-lit during winter has some inevitable cost implications for your business.
An increase in energy usage is somewhat unavoidable – and has the potential to be significantly over your anticipated budget. By implementing a few winter best practices, minimise the impact on your business’s bottom line.
Be neat with your heat It may seem to be common sense, but many businesses make fundamental errors in their heating practices. Heating costs increase your energy bills by approximately 8% for every 1° of heat, which makes this a potentially costly area in winter. Don’t heat unoccupied or unnecessary areas of your building and make a habit of turning off the heating at the close of business every day.
Trap the heat by keeping doors and windows closed as much as possible. Adjust the temperatures for lesser-used areas in the building. Keep an eye on your thermostat or manually adjust it as the temperature changes and ensure that it is located somewhere with a constant temperature, unaffected by outside temperatures and the effect of machinery in office and work spaces.
Don’t pay for loss of daylight As the days shorten, so the use of lightbulbs increase. Convert traditional lightbulbs to more efficient LED varieties and control your lighting by eliminating unnecessary usage in unoccupied areas around your building. Automated lighting is another option, controlling usage through motion detectors in key areas in your building.
Get equipment working optimally, so you can too It is worth investing in new technologies for premium cost-effectiveness. If you haven’t already, service your boiler and assess your building’s insulation for best performance.
Use data for cost management A smart meter and advanced energy technologies can provide invaluable insight into your winter usage. They also take the guesswork out of your energy bills, so there are no nasty surprises.
Speak to your supplier If your contract is coming up for renewal, this is the ideal time to get and compare quotes to ensure you are on the best possible tariff for your business. Every business’s needs change and it is advisable to explore the options to avoid automatic increases. At this busy time of year, take the legwork out of comparing quotes by working through a broker. Ideally, get a full-market comparison and advice around your energy strategy.
Get your staff involved in energy-saving this winter and experience corresponding cost savings for your business. If you are looking for facilities maintenance services, energy procurement, and expert advice on your utilities, contact Smarter Business today.
