In today’s day and age, climate change and protecting the planet are hot on everyone’s minds, and given their propensity to have the largest energy requirements, businesses are being urged to do all they can to create a greener working environment. If you run a business and are considering how you can make changes to be more environmentally friendly, you’ve likely heard many different ideas batted around – so many that it can be difficult to know where to start.
This article has you covered: here are 12 tips for managing your energy consumption throughout your commercial property.
1. Use Data from Your Energy Audits
Every business should have regular energy audits done. These surveys provide deep insight into not only how much energy you’re using, but where it’s going and whether any of it’s being wasted.
It’s very difficult to make any meaningful changes if you don’t know what your baseline is, so get a thorough audit done as soon as possible to see where the land lies. From here, you’ll gain a solid understanding of exactly where you need to make changes and which will be the most effective. You’ll likely be surprised at where the main energy leaks are in your building, and there will undoubtedly be elements you’ve never even considered popping up as red flags.
2. Consider Your Office Equipment
It’s usually best to start small, especially if you have a large premise and a lengthy list of necessary changes.
One of the best places to start is your office equipment. While an individual computer, copier, or refrigerator may have very little impact in the grand scheme of things, they each add up: even a relatively small business may have 20+ computers, and if each of these is running on energy inefficient power supplies, that equates to a significant energy drain.
Look to only purchase appliances that are Energy Star-rated, as this ensures your machines prioritize energy efficiency. Make a hierarchy of the machines that result in the most energy usage, and go from there. If you’re still running very old equipment, consider upgrading – it may save you more money in the long run.
3. Change Your Lighting
Naturally, lighting accounts for a major portion of your energy consumption, and technology has vastly improved over the last few years. If you’re still using incandescent bulbs, consider switching to LEDS: they have a superior energy profile and don’t tend to blow as frequently as older types, saving you money and optimizing your energy output.
They’ve also come a long way in terms of their hue. LEDS no longer give off the harsh blue light they were associated with 15 years ago, and many of the best options are colour changing, enabling you to tailor your space to create the ideal ambience.
4. On Solar Panels
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest changes you can make is to have solar panels installed. While they may come with a high upfront cost, commercial solar panels can drastically reduce your energy consumption, which means less strain on the planet and lower bills for you.
There are many different types of solar panels to suit different types of businesses and buildings, and they can be integrated with other smart energy technologies to augment the effects further.
5. Don’t Forget About Insulation
Hopefully, you’ll gain insight into how well insulated your building is during your audit, but not all audits cover this element.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking energy efficiency is just about the energy you use – it’s also about what you lose. If you’re draining energy through gaps in your walls or poorly insulated or old windows, you’ll need to use more total energy to heat the building. Have a survey conducted to assess the place properly, and amend accordingly.
6. Consider Offering Hybrid or Remote Work
Since the pandemic, hybrid and remote work have been adopted on a mass scale, offering people great flexibility in their work schedule. It isn’t without its faults, and it can be tough to implement properly, but so far as reducing energy consumption, it actually makes a lot of sense. Fewer people in the building means less energy used; sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best.
Look into ways you might be able to implement a hybrid working environment for your employees, because usually, everyone benefits.
7. Decrease Your Reliance on Paper
Paper waste and printing are a big concern in the vast majority of businesses. While technology has significantly reduced the reliance on paper documents, they’re still ubiquitous.
Reducing your consumption has a small but meaningful impact on deforestation, but it’s about more than just that. The printers themselves are very energy-hungry devices, especially if they’re not Energy Star-rated. When you consider that dozens and possibly hundreds of documents are being created every day, this really adds up, so do your best to transition to digital, cloud-based systems like Google Drive. These offer more flexibility for collaboration anyway, so it’s usually a win-win.
8. Architectural Design Choices
One of the biggest changes you can make is alterations to the building itself. Clever design choices, such as positioning your main workspaces in front of large windows that bring in a lot of natural light, can drastically reduce your reliance on bulbs, for example. Another big factor is optimizing your bathroom and kitchen areas, and anywhere where your staff are regularly using plumbing: ensure all of your taps are self-closing rather than traditional, as this eliminates the risk of someone accidentally leaving the water running, and install modern toilets with energy-efficient flushing mechanisms.
Again, these pieces of equipment may be more expensive in the short term, but they can save you a considerable amount of money in the long run, and drastically lessen your impact on the planet overall.
9. Train Your Employees
Even if you’re using the most energy-efficient equipment in the world, if your employees don’t know how to use it or continue to be wasteful in their working day, it won’t mean a lot.
Having made the necessary changes, conduct a thorough meeting where you teach your staff how everything works, why it’s important, and what not to do. Even simple things like switching off light switches when leaving a room, and putting a computer to sleep when it’s not in use, can make a significant difference.
You should also have regular ‘recap’ sessions just to make sure everyone’s still up to speed, and to get any new members of the team familiar with the way things work.
10. Scrutinise Your Supply Chain
This article has discussed the steps you can take to make your own business more energy efficient, but it’s also key to think about the services you use and other businesses you rely on. Consider your whole supply chain – where you’re getting your supplies from and how they’re being delivered.
Switching to suppliers who also adopt green technology is crucial: it’s not just about what you’re doing personally, but also the wider impact your day-to-day has on the community around you. You won’t be able to eliminate every energy-hungry process, but you can make things considerably better.
Wrapping Up
Adopting greener business practices may seem like a daunting task, especially if you haven’t given it much thought in the past. There will be a lot to go through and likely a lot to change, but take things one step at a time, and be thorough with your auditing in the beginning, and you’ll get there in no time.
