Tips for Reducing Your Energy Bills

We love helping our clients to cut down their costs through outsourced accountancy, bookkeeping, payroll, tax management and credit control. But that’s not where our support ends, as we also like to share top tips for saving money. 

 

Read on to discover how your business can reduce the amount it spends on energy bills by making a few simple changes. 

According to EDF, up to 40% of your company’s energy bill is probably allocated to lighting. Whilst bright surroundings help to motivate employees and benefit staff wellbeing, there will be areas and rooms that don’t need be lit throughout the day. 

 

Aside from turning off the lights when a room isn’t in use, you could also replace your old filament bulbs with LED versions. They come with a higher price tag but save a lot of energy and last longer too. 

 

If you want to take energy efficiency even further, consider installing motion sensors in corridors, toilets and similar areas, as these are the main culprits when it comes to wasted electricity, 

It’s easy to forget to send a meter reading, which can result in your company’s energy bills being larger than you’ve budgeted for. A smart meter is the answer, as it provides real time data and enables you to know exactly how much your next bill will be. This will help you to manage your cash flow, plus it’s also a great way to better understand how much energy you’re using and work towards reducing it. 

 

Many energy providers will replace your old meter with a smart version free of charge, so make sure to look into it. 

Placing too much reliance on heating systems and air conditioning really ramps up your utility bills. Having the air con on full blast throughout the summer months can increase your electricity usage by a whopping 30% and even just a single degree of overheating can cause an 8% increase. 

By only using these systems when you really need them, your business can significantly cut down its energy costs. Here are a few tips on how to do it: 

Desktop computers, laptops and TV screens on standby and even smartphone chargers that are left plugged in – they all use electricity that your business has to pay for. By encouraging employees to turn devices off at the end of the day rather than putting them into sleep mode, you’ll save more than a few pennies, especially if you have multiple workstations. 

Energy efficiency isn’t just your responsibility as a business owner, as your employees each play a major role too. As with any good advice, it will always bring greater results when followed by the entire team, so engage your staff and explain to them how they can all help to create a greener business. 

 

A fun way to take this to the next level is to allocate an energy champion who will explore new ways to reduce energy usage and shrink the company’s carbon footprint as a result. This isn’t a full-time role – instead, offer it to a member of staff as a continuous development opportunity and make sure they have an hour or two within their normal working week to invest into research and internal communication. The individual will expand their skill set and the business reduces its energy consumption even further – it’s a win-win scenario! 

Through our outsourced accountancy services, we’re saving one client a massive £19,000 every single year. To find out more, call our Yorkshire office on 01482 235575, our London office on 0207 885 0605, or fill in the contact form below.