How to Manage Business Energy Costs

Running a business can be an incredibly exciting and rewarding venture, but it can also be incredibly expensive given the myriad of costs which come with it. From having to purchase supplies to paying staff, there are many costs which every business owner must take into account to keep the business afloat and make a profit.

Keeping an eye on the costs and where savings can be made is an ongoing requirement for all businesses. Take utilities for example, there are lots of energy service providers and deals on the go all the time.

Bundling energy with data provision is the way to go nowadays so do some research on which provider is right for your business.

Provider

We’re all reluctant to pay more than we need to for utilities therefore your energy provider needs to be competitive on many different levels including support and most importantly cost.

There’s been a rise in service provider companies, such as Utilitywise, whom exist to help businesses find the most cost effective providers of not just power but also data.

While you may have thought this is enough to manage, and deliver on, providers wanting to differentiate from their competitors also provide other services like managing the bills from the chosen utility providers so you don’t need to.

Using a third party to take care of your business bills is also an efficient way to save time and manpower that you could use elsewhere.

To work out if switching energy providers is worthwhile, the first step to take would be to get an energy audit – most companies offer free energy audits and will help you figure out how your money are spent on energy bills, they ways you can increase energy efficiency and how to make adjustments to decrease the amount spent.

Energy Efficiency

Managing where and how much energy is used within the business can reduce usage and thus the cost.

Focus on making sure whatever uses energy is only doing so when necessary (lights, computers, machinery etc.) and that you have energy efficient infrastructure in place.

Installing motion activated lights, for instance, may be a good way to reduce electricity usage in the long run, as well as using a programmable thermostat to control the temperature and make sure that the heating is not constantly on. There is plenty of energy efficient equipment on the market which could be an effective investment for your business.

It might also seem pretty obvious, but switching off equipment when not in use can really make a difference. You’d be surprised how much you could safe by not letting computers, printers and other devices sleeping, rather than switched off.

Keep your hardware wired into a single power-strip, so once you are ready to leave you can shut them all down with just a single switch.

Renewable Energy

You may also want to consider supplying some of your business’s energy needs yourself by installing renewable energy devices.

Two of the most common pieces of kit would be a wind turbine and solar panels, but there will likely be many more innovations to come as technology continues to progress.

Many businesses are going green these days, so it is well worth staying ahead of the trend and investing in renewable energy, both to keep costs down and to minimise your business’s impact in the environment.

You might want to consider letting a bit of sunlight in your office.

As simple as it is, this could help you reduce costs from keeping the lights during daylight hours. On the other hand, you need to make sure that the light is not intrusive and actually makes feel your employees uncomfortable.

Summary

These are just some of the many different methods you can apply to manage energy costs effectively and efficiently.

Adopting the best practices now could well save your business a fortune in the long run, so be sure to look into every option available to you.