With winter fast approaching and daylight hours beginning to shrink, now is the perfect time to look at ways to optimise the energy efficiency of your businesses.

While some industries are more energy-intensive than others, government data shows that average small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) could reduce energy bills by 18-25% by installing energy efficiency measures and implementing behavioural change.

Some energy efficiency measures require planning and investment, but others can be implemented for free in a matter of minutes. Here are our top tips to help reduce your energy bills this winter:

Heating

• Having a smart meter installed is a quick and easy method that can save firms around 10% on their annual fuel bills on average.
• You can also save £200 a year by turning down your thermostat by just one degree. Smart technology can help by enabling your office space to be temperature controlled at different times of the day and year.
• Move filing cabinets, workbenches and other pieces of work furniture that are blocking radiators to ensure that energy isn’t being absorbed, helping to offset that one degree on the thermostat. Typically, two-thirds of heat in an office building is lost through the building fabric, so effective insulation is key to keeping heat in.
  
• Keep doors and windows closed when your heating is on, fit draught excluders and make sure your premises are well insulated for simple and low-cost ways to keep your bills as low as possible.

Lighting

• Our recent case study found that installing LED lighting across your offices, factory and other workspaces can reduce lighting costs by as much as 70-80%. Switching to LED lighting is absolutely beneficial in looking to reduce costs, as EDF estimates that to 40% of the energy your business uses could go on lighting your premises.
  
• Consider smart blinds which can maximise light and heat from sunshine in the daytime and help keep heat in outside of office hours.

Appliances

• In an ideal world, people would switch lights off when a room is not in use, but by installing motion sensors, you can make sure that unoccupied areas aren’t being lit unnecessarily. In addition, timers on light switches, computers, and other devices can help reduce energy consumption in unused equipment.
• Ensuring items left on standby mode are properly switched off can save £86 on average, according to research from electricity and gas supplier Utilita. The biggest culprits are TVs, printers, and computers – which can cost £40 each per year if not properly shut down.
• Check whether appliances have energy-saving setting and encourage everyone to use them as the default.

Energy grants and audits

• Check whether you’re eligible for any tax breaks. Some local governments provide tax incentives or rebates when you buy energy-efficient appliances. The UK government offers a business finance and support finder function to search for all grant and loan schemes available for businesses looking to reduce their energy bills across the UK.

This list will update throughout the year as different local authorities secure and distribute funding, so it’s worth checking regularly to see if your local area offers new business support schemes in the future.

• Your commercial energy provider may also be able to offer a business grant or scheme to help you improve your business energy efficiency. These could include subsidies on the upfront costs for more energy-efficient equipment.
• Consult an expert. Enexus Energy provides businesses with bespoke strategies to optimise the purchase and use of commercial energy.
  
  We can help firms take proactive measures to lower their business energy outgoings, reduce consumption, and guide you to lasting savings on your energy costs.
  
  To see how we can help, please get in touch:
  
  Email: info@enexusenergy.co.uk
  
  Tel: 01253 966 960