Business expenses are unavoidable. Yet, they do not need to be uncontrollably high. Failure to face increasing costs in a business environment is one of the main causes of a commercial collapse. This can happen for a variety of reasons, ranging from inadequate forecasting to negative cash flow. Yet, the priority to recovering financial stability is to strategically lower your business expenses. As energy costs are on the rise and with no sign of slowing down, it becomes necessary for companies to focus on their energy consumption. Decreasing your energy bills can have more than one advantage. Below, we have highlighted 5 smart tips to lower your energy bills.
By Team Savant
Image: Jan Kopřiva
Firstly, you can reduce your monthly or yearly payments, creating the necessary financial room you need to maintain your business. But low energy consumptions also mean low carbon emission and environmental footprint. Building a sustainable business that looks after the planet begins today by targeting your energy usage.
1. Improve your insulation solution
Building insulation plays a huge role in maintaining indoor temperature as comfortable as possible. During the colder months of the year, the insulation prevents heat loss and reduces heating needs. When the summer heat hits, your insulation can keep the office cool and fresh, reducing dependence on air conditioning. It is worth checking the quality of your insulation systems and targeting areas that need improvements. You can also add thermal insulation on the outside of the building using pre cast concrete panels, which also improve your structural integrity and be customised to your needs.
2. Embrace remote working arrangements
Can every employee work from home? Depending on the situation, remote working may not be a suitable option for everyone. Some roles need to remain on site. Additionally, some professionals do not have access to a quiet office space at home. Yet, a majority of team members will be able to work remotely, hence reducing the business energy consumption.
3. Who needs light at night?
Some offices keep their lights on at night. While it can be an attractive sight to keep your offices lit up in an urban environment, it can present many issues:
Unnecessary energy waste
High consumption of light bulbs
Lack of safety, as intruders could be mistaken for late workers
4. Make the most of renewable energy financing
Every government provides green funding for companies, helping them reduce carbon emissions. It is worth investigating relevant funding for your business, as it can be the opportunity to switch to renewable energy. The company could add solar panels on the premises, for instance. For commercial use, businesses report high energy cost savings. Besides, the financing options can help recoup the costs.
5. Introduce office optimisation strategies
Simple tricks such as optimising your operations and equipment can also help reduce energy consumption without affecting your productivity. When should you consider strategic optimisation:
Your equipment is 10 or over
There have been substantial tech improvements made for equipment in your field
Your operations could be streamlined, reducing not only team effort but energy needs
Ineffective, slow, or faulty equipment
Businesses could cut down their energy bills by up to 50% with strategic transformations. Switching to an entirely renewable energy generation solution could even drive further cost reductions. Yet, you'll need to account for the cost of a generator and a storage function to cater for your needs during peak times.