These are challenging times for all businesses with inflation increase and energy costs soaring. Although there will be a price cap for domestic and business energy users under the government’s current plans, relief will only be for six months. Unfortunately the energy crisis is unlikely to lift any time soon so it’s very important to take practical measures now to reduce energy consumption to ensure your business’s survival.
Here are some things you can look at in your business to try to reduce your energy costs:
Business Energy Contract
Review your business energy contract and see when your current contract ends or how much notice you have to give your current supplier to switch. Then shop around to see if you can secure a cheaper tariff. You could consider an off peak contract if you are able to do your work during the night for a cheaper energy tariff. If you still have a substantial amount of time left on your energy contract, contact your supplier and they may be able to offer a discount or payment plan to help you manage.
Review your Energy Use
Gather your energy invoices and analyse both costs and energy consumption. You should be able to pick out trends when your business consumes more energy such as seasonal trends. Trend your energy data against your operations and you should see a correlation and potential opportunities to save energy.
To go a step further employ secondary metering. This should be located in areas where you suspect high energy usage in areas of high operational use or on key pieces of equipment. You should very quickly see what your high energy users are and be able to identify some opportunities for improvement.
Have smart meters fitted so that the actual usage can be obtained by your energy provider rather than an estimation of energy use being taken where the monthly amount could be higher on occasion or could increase your direct debit needlessly.
Planning and Process Efficiency
It is possible to plan your operations with energy efficiency in mind. For instance, try to utilize equipment for several jobs so that it doesn’t have to be turned on and off frequently, especially if the start-up and shutdown process is a lengthy one. Can you produce more in the same period of time and therefore for the same amount of energy by making processes more efficient?
Look at the occupancy of your buildings. Are there many buildings sparsely occupied? Could those people or equipment occupy just one space so you only need heating and lighting for fewer buildings or offices. Consolidating operations or office space can be an effective way to save energy.
Think of your businesses operational hours. Is it possible to work a shorter week at the business premises and employees work from home during the rest of the week? If you run shifts and have a tariff where energy is cheaper off-peak, could you plan the energy-intensive work on a night shift? Plan in shutdown periods, like over Christmas, where all equipment is turned off for the duration where possible.
Heating
To try and ensure your heating system is operating at optimal efficiency, have one central thermostat control for thermal comfort and keep the temperature set around 18°C. If you have a combined heating and cooling system discourage people from opening windows in the building as this can cause extra energy usage as the system tries to adjust.
Make sure you have your heating system maintained by a professional and keep all heating equipment clean as a build up of dirt and dust can also make your heaters less efficient. If you have heating systems such as radiators make sure they are bled of air locks on a regular basis.
If you struggle to heat an area due to the large size of the area or because of the high roof height such as in a warehouse, destratification fans may be a solution to reduce energy loss. The destratification fan pushes warm air back down to ground level preventing it from rising and being lost through the ceiling space. This could reduce your heating bill by as much as 20% so well work considering.
Only have your heating come on in rooms that are occupied on a regular basis such as in the office between 8-6 Monday to Friday if you have no weekend working. Leave to thermostat turned to 12°C out of hours as frost protection and to prevent a build-up of condensation. Also check occupancy frequency of the rooms and buildings of your facility. It’s not necessary to have a room heated where its only occupied for a couple of minutes a day.
Ensure roller shutter doors and doors in general remain closed where possible during cooler periods of the year as these are often accidentally left open allowing any warm air to escape. It may be worth considering automatic closing devices to ensure this happens.
If you have a very old inefficient heating system or a system that is not fit for purpose consider a replacement system as the payback may be sooner than you think with some old systems installed with design flaws such as fitting radiators under windows where the heat can escape. Use an expert to recommend the most efficient system for you as some systems sound fantastic such as underfloor heating or ground source heating but are difficult to retrofit, impractical and could cause massive disruption to your business operations. Grants may also be available so check the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Website.
Insulation
Just like in your home you can insulate your business premises. Underfloor, wall and roof cavity insulation can reduce the heat loss by 25%. Also try to draft proof your building by checking seals around all windows and doors also making sure they’re a good fit and repairing or replacing any broken seals. Be careful not to block off any ventilation mechanisms such as window air vents (which in the newer design can be temporarily closed during winter) or air bricks as this can cause condensation build up.
Check your hot water tank and boiler, do they have insulating jackets to prevent heat loss? Do the hot water pipes have lagging to improve pipe insulation? You could also install heating reflectors behind radiators or wall heaters if your business has them.
If you don’t have it already look into double or triple glazing as this can massively improve your energy rating with it being up to 50% more thermally efficient than single glazing. The same approach should be taken for doors to ensure they are well fitted and improve thermal efficiency by using materials such as composite. This process of upgrading a buildings energy efficiency is referred to as retro fitting.
If you have hard flooring such as tiles it may be worth considering carpets in the areas where it is practical and blinds or shutters at windows can also prevent heat loss but it’s a good idea to allow the sunlight to warm the room and keep the blinds or shutters closed during the night to keep the heat.
Lighting
Use natural light where ever possible by using windows and sky lights and keeping them clean. Turn light off when the natural light is bright enough to light the space and if lights do need to be on, make sure they are turned off when the space is not being used.
Replace any old fluorescent lights with energy-efficient LED lighting and think about using sensors where the lights will turn off automatically if the space is unoccupied. Some lighting systems are advanced enough to automatically adjust the brightness by measuring the natural ambient light. Adjustable brightness or lux level is a nice feature to have if you don’t need bright lights to work or have issues with glare.
Equipment
Check the energy rating of your equipment and its age. Is it in good working order? Over time equipment can become less efficient especially if it is not well maintained. When equipment needs to be replaced ensure that you assess the energy efficiency of any equipment you look to purchase. It may be a false economy to go for the cheapest option as you may pay more in the long term in energy costs. Look at all of the costs of operating over the lifetime of the equipment and look for A-rated energy efficient equipment where possible. You may also be able to access grants or funding if you purchase energy-efficient equipment.
Make sure that equipment isn’t left on standby when not in use and try to unplug electrical equipment as it still draws charge even when not turned on.
Having a preventative maintenance regime and keeping equipment clean and in good condition will extend the life of your equipment and make it as energy efficient as possible. Specialist equipment such as your boiler or compressed air system should be serviced by a qualified contractor on at least an annual basis.
Motors, Pumps and Drives
The important thing about motors, pumps and drives is to ensure that they are the correct sizing and fit for purpose as if they are overpowered or underpowered then they will not operate at an optimum level and will waste energy. Technology is advancing all of the time so it may be worthwhile looking at newer models which are more energy efficient.
Ensure that the motor, pumps and drives have standby’s so that they can be stripped down, cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. Do regular inspections to check that they are in good working order as if the equipment is very noisy, making unusual noises or smells like burning it indicates that the equipment is broken and should be taken out of circulation immediately and fixed.
Don’t let motors, pumps and drives idle, make sure they are turned off when not in use as they can be high energy users and this can drive up electricity costs. Review your operations and see if they are on when they don’t need to be.
Compressed Air Systems
Compressed air systems can be a high energy user due to the likelihood of leaking systems where equipment has to work harder to maintain pressure. Assess if you can substitute compressed air for another method where possible, for instance, some businesses use it for cleaning parts by blowing off debris whereas a vacuum system may be more efficient. Where substitution isn’t possible make sure that your air lines are as short as possible and that you turn off the system when not in use.
Inspect your air lines before use using a leak detection spray and patch up any air leaks. If you find that this has to be done on a regular basis look to replace the lines. It is also recommended that condensed air systems are regularly serviced. If the system leaks a lot then it should be as frequent as every 3 months, if it does not then every year should be adequate.
Energy Conservation
Get everyone in your business involved in energy-saving measures and prevent poor behaviours. Make sure that staff are aware of how much energy costs your business and what they can do to help. These measures could be:
- Not opening windows or leaving doors open when the heating or cooling systems are running
- Not interfering with the thermostatic controls
- Turning lights off when leaving a room and closing up for the night
- Turning off equipment when not in use, unplugging where possible and not leaving on standby
- Not bringing in personal heaters or fans from home
- Reporting any equipment that is not in good working order
- Looking for energy-efficient equipment as a priority when old equipment needs replacing
- Suggesting energy-saving measures
You can do this through awareness sessions, formal training such as NEBOSH Environmental Management Certificate, toolbox talks or posters and signage.
Summary
There are many ways businesses can save energy and reduce costs but it does take time and effort to determine where the savings can be made. A great first step is through an awareness campaign to get all employees engaged and strive towards that common goal. Without buy-in from employees any measures implemented could be short-lived. If successful, there is also the added benefit of reducing your businesses carbon footprint which can also enhance the green reputation of your business. Win win!
For more information
The Carbon Trust and Energy Savings Trust are a good source of information to help your business with advice on energy saving measures.
16 Degree Shift runs regular NEBOSH Environmental Management Certificate courses where there is a module on Energy Efficiency and other units that can help your business to save resources and costs. For more information or to sign up for the next upcoming course register your interest.
0333 358 2032