It’s a tough time for business and retail right now so anything that might help owners to cut your business energy bills and spending would be worthwhile, right?
Fewer than half of businesses with 10 employees or fewer have active energy management strategies and protocols in place - and that means they are almost certainly paying way too much for their electricity, gas and water.
Even a third of much larger companies are spending more money than they should be on their energy costs because they have not got a clear strategy and plan in place. And yet, after salaries and rent, the cost of energy is probably one of the biggest expenses a business has.
So here’s five top tips to help businesses to shave a little bit off their utility bills this winter.
Get smart
Ask your energy supplier if you are entitled to have a smart meter installed. That will really help you to see how your energy use changes during the day, see if there are any trends that you can better manage to reduce use and to see where savings could be made.
The greater accuracy of smart meters means that you will only be paying for what you are using too.
If you can’t stand the heat
Even a small adjustment to the heating in a retail shop or other business can have a dramatic effect on bills. And during the winter months, shoppers are usually swathed in multiple layers, including hats, gloves and scarves. And can often be heard complaining about how hot it is in the shop.
Even if you only turn the thermostat down one degree the difference in the energy bill could be really significant.
Stand by
Or rather, don’t stand by. Making sure all electrical items are properly switched off and not left on stand by all night is safer and can lead to some small energy savings too.
Lightbulb moment
Switching to LED lightbulbs and tubes can save a business hundreds of pounds each year, but there are other things you can do too. For example, do you actually need a light on or could natural daylight do the job for you? Would a movement and light sensor system make sure lights weren’t left on with no-one in the room?
Cool it
If you have cold storage units in your premises keeping them clean and regularly maintained can give you really good energy savings, as can adding night blinds for use after closing time.
These tips will help reduce your business energy bills a little but there is nothing to beat having a properly managed energy strategy and plan and using an energy broker like us to find the best deals among all the deals that are out there from energy companies.
Using a business energy broker
We offer a plain-talking, jargon-free explanation for all aspects of your energy usage and how you can get the best deal for you that suits the business needs that you have.
We’ll sort out any problems you may have had and get you on the right footing to have a worry-free energy future. Why not get in touch with us and find out what we can do for you.