Ways to Save Energy for Small Businesses

Owning and running a business is a time consuming and often expensive venture. While some costs such as employee salaries, equipment purchases, office space costs are on the forefront of many business owners’ minds, it’s also wise to consider energy costs. 

Your office’s electric, water, and gas usage can be expensive depending on the size of your office space and the number of employees working and needing energy to power their devices. 

All these energy costs can pile up without you noticing. When it comes to managing or reducing energy costs of a business, it’s important to take stock of the needs and requirements of both running your office and of your employees. To help business owners save costs on energy, Santanna Energy has compiled the following tips to help cut costs or save on energy: 

1. Make use of natural light or LED and CFL light bulbs.

Lighting fixtures use energy that can otherwise be saved by using natural light. If your office has large windows or natural skylights, utilize natural daylight to light your office space. Using natural light for your space can decrease energy costs by 75%. In addition to decreasing energy costs, natural light has also been shown to help employees feel more productive and reduces eye strain.

Aside from making use of natural light, using LED light bulbs can also help your business save money on energy costs. Incandescent lights use up a lot of energy and are not as long lasting as their LED counterparts. While LED lights are more expensive to install initially, the costs of running LED light bulbs are lower and can save you more money in the long run.

2. Use energy efficient devices and appliances.

Similar to LED light bulbs, energy efficient devices cost more up front but pay for themselves by saving you money over time. Energy efficient appliances can reduce energy costs by as much as 10 to 50 percent. In addition to saving money, energy efficient appliances are environmentally friendly as Energy Star appliances help reduce greenhouse gases by relying less on fossil fuels and uses less water than energy inefficient appliances.

3. Turn off and unplug devices and equipment not in use.

Many appliances in the office can continue to drain electricity even when they are turned off. This “phantom energy” can be as much as 15% of the total energy that appliances use and when these add up can potentially cost your business a lot of money. 

Along with using energy efficient appliances and devices minimize this drain, turn off and unplug appliances that are not in use. Use a single power strip for multiple appliances to make turning off and on easier and more efficient.

4. Control your heating and cooling temperatures.

Smart thermostats help you regulate the temperature of your office. Smart thermostats can sense if there are people are in the room and turn off when it’s empty. This prevents you from heating or cooling an empty office and wasting money.

Many smart thermostats also are able to analyze energy usage and track your use over time, how you compare to other users, and help you make a more informed decision on saving energy for the next month.

5. Consider green energy.

Your office can also opt for purchasing green power or renewable energy to power the devices and appliances that your business uses. 

Purchasing and installing solar panels can also save you money in the long run. While installation costs can be expensive initially, the cost can be recovered in the time following when solar energy is used consistently.

In addition to energy savings, green energy produces less greenhouse emissions from the use of fossil fuels and in some cases, reduces air pollution.

Saving costs where possible is an important part of efficient business management. Take advantage of Santanna Energy’s rewards program for monthly rewards that can be used in over 500,000 ways!