We’re passionate about helping our customers become more energy efficient and save money and carbon on the way. So, here are our top five tips to lower your energy usage, reduce your electricity bill and become more environmentally conscious.
1. Get smart with your smart meter
Having a smart meter ensures you only pay for the energy you use and provides you with accurate information on how you use your electricity. With access to your energy data, you can identify patterns and times of high or unnecessary usage, putting you in control.
2. Turn it off or turn it down
It sounds simple but turn off any devices or equipment when they’re not in use, at the plug. Leaving devices on standby still uses energy!
Hit the snooze button on your technology, earlier. Small changes, such as setting your computer to go on standby after 10 minutes rather than 30 minutes, can add up to make a big difference.
And, if you work in an office, try putting timers on your office equipment to turn them off in the evenings and weekends.
3. Keep it cool with your heating
Did you know that heating and hot water can account for 60% of your total energy use? (1) By turning your heating down just 1 degree can reduce your annual heating bill by up to 8%! (1)
Ensure your heating and cooling systems aren’t in competition with each other. By creating a temperature gap between when your heating turns off and your air con comes on, you can avoid your systems overlapping and save energy (2).
It can be difficult to agree on a temperature that satisfies everyone, especially in large buildings. Having zoned heating areas with thermostats allows individuals to control the temperature of their own area. This produces more specific temperatures, reducing energy waste and making your staff more comfortable!
Perhaps consider installing a destratification fan, which circulates heat across your premises, to ensure a consistent temperature throughout. This can reduce your energy usage by up to 20% (2)!
And of course, make sure your building is as well insulated as possible, with double glazing and draught proofing. This will keep your building cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
4. Don’t be dim with your lighting
Lighting can make up around 20% of a business’ electricity bill (3). An easy way to reduce this is to use as much natural light as possible, so open your blinds and clean your windows!
You can also switch to high quality LED lights. In total, they have the potential to reduce electricity bills in the UK by over £300 million and reduce carbon emissions by one million tonnes over the next 3 years (3).
Another way to reduce your energy usage is by installing motion sensitive lighting. Activated by movement, they turn off when no-one’s around (4). You’ll never have to worry about remembering to turn off a light again!
5. Generate and store
So, with some of the basics covered, how can you take your energy efficiency to the next level?
You could consider generating your own zero carbon, renewable electricity. Not only kind to the environment, it also helps you reduce your energy consumption and save money. With solar generation, you only use what you generate and, being on-site, it minimises your distribution and transmission losses, reducing your energy waste and bills!
Integrating your on-site generation with a battery system could maximise the benefits of your generated power. It stores any extra energy generated for future use, such as peak times of day, when power from the grid is more expensive, helping you to save money.
There are many ways to make your business more energy efficient, but you can’t do it all on your own. Get your team involved to spread awareness of energy efficiency across your business. From energy saving posters to top tips, speak to us about how Bryt branded collateral could help your business get savvy on energy.
Do you have an energy-saving tip that we’ve missed? Get in touch with us at marketing@brytenergy.co.uk
