10 Tips to Reduce Your Company's Energy Consumption

The approaching winter will be expensive in terms of energy. As individuals, we are encouraged to be energy efficient and turn down the heat. What about businesses? How can they avoid passing these extra costs to consumers with higher product prices? We have 10 tips for reducing your company's energy consumption (and bill).

Act now to reduce energy costs

The fourth quarter is synonymous with peak sales for most companies because it is during the festive season that you make the biggest portion of your turnover.

In the context of the energy crisis and widespread inflation in Europe, it is important that companies take immediate steps to participate in the effort to reduce energy consumption. Governments have called for the collective responsibility of individuals as well as companies to ration their energy usage.

#1 Motivating employees

Raising awareness among your colleagues and employees on the subject of energy-saving is essential.

If you are the only one that closes windows and doors, reduces the heating, and turns off your electrical appliances, the impact on your company’s energy bill will be minimal.

Why not organise a meeting with your employees and outline future measures to reduce energy consumption? Your employees will thank you because many of these tips could be applied in their homes to help them reduce their consumption.

Our advice: Post a list of tips in high traffic areas of your premises. Appoint “energy saving ambassadors” sensitive to sustainable energy conservation to support you in your approach.

#2 Ideal temperature: 19°C

Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market has recommended European households to lower the heating by two or three degrees.

Companies are also encouraged to make efforts, whether in the collective interest or simply to avoid an explosion in their energy bills. But there is no need for that. Some governments have announced restrictions for internal temperatures for businesses: 19°C for company offices has been seen in a few countries.

Germany is even considering limiting heating to 12 degrees in places where employees are engaged in intense physical work. Spain has also approved heating to 19 degrees in public buildings and places.

Useful information: It is already advisable not to heat rooms above 19°C, which is the ideal temperature during the day.

#3 Choose sustainable lighting

This can be part of a long-term commitment:

Choose energy-saving bulbs. They are more efficient than incandescent bulbs. You will see this on your bill.
Take advantage of natural light as long as it is sufficient to work in good conditions.
Invest in individual light fixtures so that each employee can adjust the brightness of their workstation.
Turn off the lights at night.

#4 Limit the use of electronic devices

Source: shutterstock.com/eamesBot

Even electronic devices that are not in use can add to your company's electricity bill. Get into the habit now:

Switching off your devices rather than leaving them on standby - After a 30 minute break, screens and the mainframe should be switched off.
Unplug devices even when they are switched off (The purchase of power strips can be a good solution).
Unplug chargers - As well as increasing the risk of fire, the power consumption in a vacuum is simply unnecessary.
Unplug your computer peripherals if you are not using them (e.g. headphones, external hard drive, web-cam...).
Do you need 4 printers on the same floor? If not, at least halve the number of printers and reduce the number of prints.
Turn off the wifi when you leave in the evening.

#5 Reduce transport-related costs

Are you planning a business trip to London or Berlin?

Even if the costs involved are not part of your company's energy consumption budget, it may be worth reconsidering some business travel costs if they can be easily replaced by videoconference meetings. Since the COVID-19 crisis, many of us have become accustomed to hybrid working and virtual meetings.

In times of energy crisis, remote working is an opportunity for your employees and your wallet.

If you sell products on your website, you can also decide to suspend express delivery and communicate this transparently to your customers. Any move to support the collective effort to save energy will be received positively by your customers. You can also encourage your customers to group their orders by offering free delivery from a minimum purchase amount.

#6 Keeping the heat in

Is it necessary to occupy so many offices and not optimise available space? Of course, your employees don't have to cram into a tiny space together, but it can be beneficial to reduce the amount of space occupied and to turn off the heating in offices that are not being used.

Ventilation is also a good method to increase the efficiency of the heating. 5 minutes of airing 3 times a day is sufficient during the winter months and will make the heating work more efficiently.

Finally, remember to close the doors between heated and unheated spaces.

#7 Clean up your email inbox

It's often something we don't know, but the accumulation of files increases your energy consumption. Here are some good habits to adopt:

Delete messages you no longer need (those older than 6 months or the ones where you were just in copy)

Avoid sending attachments that are too large. When you send an e-mail, compress your files instead or send a hyperlink
Limit the number of recipients - You could always just pick up that good old phone or go and talk directly to your colleagues.

#8 Compress images on your e-commerce site

The size of images consumes a lot of energy and slows down the navigation on your site. If you've been putting off compressing your site's images because you don't have the time, now might be the time to do it.

If you are looking for a tool capable of compressing your images, you can turn to TinyJPG or Compressor.io.

#9 Are you eligible for government assistance?

Many countries are trying to assist businesses regarding increased energy bills. Countries like France and Germany are doing their best to help businesses through these tough times.

In the UK, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme will help businesses with energy costs from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. The great thing is that you don’t need to apply to the scheme - the discount will automatically be added to your bills.

For more information, check this government website.

#10 Contact your energy provider

Whether you are eligible for government support or not, don't let your energy bill get out of hand and contact your supplier. Your company is not the only one concerned and an action plan will certainly be put in place by the energy companies in agreement with the government.

Conclusion

Energy-related costs will weigh unevenly on companies and individuals. This situation is unprecedented for most of us and forces the adoption of new habits necessary for the preservation of economic and social activities. Even if these measures may seem restrictive, they must be followed collectively and individually to have a real impact.

As a company, it is important to avoid passing on the increase in your energy bills to the price of your products or services and to adopt new habits.