There are a variety of ways you can reduce costs in your business when it comes to energy. By assessing the needs of your employees and your customers, you’ll be able to make a plan that helps you cut costs where you need it the most.
1. Don’t heat what you don’t use. This may seem obvious but it’s easy to oversee. Only heat the rooms and areas of the building which are in use every day. Rooms with low usage should have their heating turned down or off until they are in use. You can also keep temperatures low in hallways as they are not used for more than a couple of minutes at a time.
2. Motivate and involve staff. Encourage employees to take part in brainstorming sessions. Employees can be delegated responsibility to offer their own innovative ideas to cut down on energy costs. Having an open dialogue about the things that could be changed about energy usage in your business is very important. This will allow you to create efficient work culture in your company.
3. Schedule an energy audit for your facility. SDG&E offers free energy assessments to help ensure you are using energy efficiently. Learn more at sdge.com/BES to find out if areas can be identified to trim down your energy needs.
4. Look out for small drafts that may leak air. Small drafts can result in businesses losing sometimes substantial portions of their heating and cooling costs. Proper air sealing of the work environment can eliminate those drafts.
5. Keep control of your heating. Keeping your office temperature one degree down during winters can reduce the power it uses by up to 10%. Consider purchasing a smart thermostat, too.
By considering these steps, you could see changes in your energy bill. People often underestimate the little things they do at work, so promoting awareness about energy issues is very important. Not only will you be lowering your energy bill, you’ll also be promoting a healthy environment within your own workplace. For more ideas on how to save energy in your business, visit sdge.com/business.
