5 Key Energy Management Tips For Small Businesses

As a small business owner, there is no doubt that one of your number one concerns – if not the top concern – is keeping operating expenses in check to ensure the highest rate of profits possible. Even if you’re doing well in terms of sales, if your operating costs are high, then it wipes out all those potential profits.

And while there are a number of ways you can bring down operating costs, or at least keep them in check, one highly effective technique is to look into your energy management. There are simple things the business can be doing on a daily basis that will help to manage the energy being used by the company and, therefore, cost less overall.

To help get you started on your quest for better energy management, here are five tips to use.

Make the Switch to LED Bulbs

Here’s a tip that will be a bit of an investment at first, but the savings won’t take long to accumulate. Making the switch to LED bulbs will result in massive energy savings, which means much lower energy bills. In fact, an LED bulb uses up to 80% less electricity than other types of lightbulbs, which is massive when you think of how many bulbs there are in an office space.

As an added tip, you may want to set lights on timers or install dimmers – this can help with energy consumption.

Compare Available Renewable Gas and Electricity Providers

If you’re looking to make the switch to renewable gas and electricity while reducing your business’s carbon footprint, then it will be necessary to compare providers. When comparing, you’ll want to look into how each one works, what the prices are, and how you can reduce the company’s energy costs.

As far as what green business energy is, it is any form of gas or electricity that has been generated from a source that is renewable. This could include wind power, wave power, solar power, biofuels, geothermal power, and more. The company will be saving money on its energy bills while doing its part for the environment.

Use Fans to Help with Air Flow During Warm Months

During the warmer months, it can be tempting to keep turning the air conditioning down to make it cooler in the office, but this means it will be working harder and costing more money each month. Rather than turning down the AC, you may want to think about using fans to help with air circulation.

Installing commercial grade ceiling fans is ideal for large spaces, and smaller offices can think of standard-sized fans or even desk/floor fans for each employee’s work station.

Ensure Employees Turn Off Electronics at the End of the Day

While it’s quite common for employees to put their computers, fax machine, printer, and so forth into rest mode at the end of the day, doing this will use power. Simply asking everyone to turn the electronics off at the end of the day can save up to 10% on the energy bill, which again adds up over the year.

Invest in Energy-Star Rated Equipment

Any office or factory equipment you’re using should also be energy-star rated, meaning it uses less energy than the standard pieces. These can seem like more money in the beginning, but again, it’s an investment that pays for itself relatively quickly.

All the Savings Add Up

The thing to keep in mind is that even small savings will add up over the course of a month or a year. Each and every place you can make changes and save on energy consumption will help the company to better manage its overhead costs.