Is your business a waste of valuable energy? No, we’re not talking about your own personal energy, we’re talking about your workspace’s gas and electricity bills. According to a study released by the Carbon Trust late in 2013, UK businesses waste up to £300 million in missed energy saving opportunities every year.
As trusted Direct Debit providers, London & Zurich know about the challenges of energy company bills, but if you’d like to save money on your business’s bills this year, its time to take matters into your own hands! Here are a few tips to get you started.
Reward change
Most British employees just aren’t geared up to help their employers cut energy use. Motivation to reduce energy consumption just isn’t there, but it’s not fair to lay the blame squarely with your staff. In fact, in the vast majority of cases, encouragement from employers is next to non-existent. It’s time to get your team onboard with your energy-saving drive by rewarding positive steps. Here are a few statistics worth bearing in mind:
- A paltry 23% of staff have been asked to help save energy at work.
- Just 13% of staff claim to have been positively rewarded for taking energy-saving steps at work
- 60% of employees claim they’d be more likely to start taking steps to save energy in the workplace if their steps were rewarded with praise.
Hit the lights
A more considerate approach to lighting can make a big difference to your energy bill. If every UK business cut their lighting by 10%, a UK-wide saving of over £55million would be achievable. Think about the impact this small and manageable change could have on your outgoings. Consider installing automatic or timed lights in bathrooms to prevent wastage when your facilities are not occupied. Make sure all lights are turned off in unused spaces and make letting in more natural light a priority.
Cut ‘small power’ use
Photocopiers, kettles, monitors, microwaves – if you can reduce the use of ‘small power’ items in the workplace by 10%, you can start to really eat into that energy bill. In fact, if this change was implemented UK-wide £39million could be saved.
Encourage your team to only fill the kettle for the cups they are making and set up ‘tea rounds’ to ensure the kettle only needs to boil once for everyone’s cuppa. When photocopiers, projectors and monitors are not in use, make sure they are turned off rather than on standby. Reward your team for their efforts and you should start to see a positive effect on your energy bills and smaller payments being sent out by your Direct Debit provider.
There are tonnes of ways to save energy in your office, but it all comes down to engaging and encouraging your team. Do you operate Green policies in your office? What tactics do you use to get your staff saving energy? Share your ideas below.
