A company in the 21st century has to be energy efficient. Going eco-friendly for the sake of the planet serves a good cause, while the energy costs are expected to decrease. In this article, we will provide you with some energy-saving tips in order to help your company maintain a healthier work environment (and cutting your utility bills).
Business energy savings are important
How to conserve energy? A common question everybody asks, but the answer is not that easy. People have some ideas about what should be done, and everybody has a bit of useful advice about how to keep the windows closed in the winter months.
But to save energy at work efficiently, your company might need an expert. First, you need an energy audit: calculate the amount of energy used per month and search for fixable errors.
The advantages of maintaining an environmentally friendly company culture:
- save money
- create a better employer branding
- protect our globe.
7 energy-saving tips at work (for businesses)
Large companies struggle with reducing the amount of energy. There are two categories of company improvement: low-hanging fruits that are easy to settle, and high-impact high-effort intentions requiring a lot of time and money to maintain.
Educate your colleagues
In these ‘trying times,’ you should educate your colleagues – and let them hear their voice if they have some ideas to implement to the company culture. Starting a newsletter might be helpful.
You can send out little tips and rules in order to start selective waste collection (and how to do that). A lot of people don’t know that a lot of things are not collectible selectively. For example: do not recycle tanglers.
Set your thermostat
A programmable thermostat can be a big help through the winter season, and of course, in summer too. Heating and cooling use a lot of energy, but apart from heating up the cold water, there are other low-budget solutions to this problem. Control the hours of direct sunlight into the office, thus making it warmer or colder.
Plug out
Save energy by turning the devices off. Or be like a professional and even unplug everything that is possible. Shut down devices also consume energy, but if you unplug the multipliers, that will save you money. Don’t rely on standby mode and maintain a schedule that can automatically switch the electricity in the office.
Switch to energy-saving devices (such as light bulbs)
Not just the light bulbs, but many devices have an eco-friendly mode. Think about your home: eco dishwashers, fridges, vacuum cleaners are all around the market. If you still use the old fridge in the company kitchen or the big ‘industrial printers’, it is time to change.
Use renewable energy
The hardest part is to go renewable. Solar power plants or solar panels on the roof are a costly decision, but the return on investment is high.
Another reason why you should switch to renewable energy is that fossil fuels (coal, natural gas) are running out.
Save energy and measure how efficient you are
An energy audit every quarter will help you track your energy consumption, and points out if there are still many improvements left to do. Have you changed your doors and windows? Great, see how effective that was. The numbers should speak for themselves.
Be a part of it: reward!
As a manager, you have to participate in such programs. If your colleagues see that you really care about nature and the environment, they will respect you and start copying your behaviour. For example, if you ride the bike, they are going to ride their bikes too. It’s that simple.
Conclusion: why you should start an energy-saving program?
The benefits of saving energy are clear. People are more likely to work for a company that cares about their well-being and the environment.
It’s a good thing to implement for employer branding reasons. You will find a quality workforce that applies for your jobs in the career menu on your website.
And also, you will start to recognize that your costs are decreasing. The ROI of a green investment pays out.