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Average Business Energy Consumption Of A Call Centre

Call centres, depending on a range of factors, have varying levels of energy consumption.

Knowing how much energy your call centre consumes (and how much it costs) can help business owners with budgeting and planning. This information can also be used to determine where to cut down on energy usage to reduce your gas and electricity bills.

In this article, we’ll look at the average energy consumption of a call centre, how much you can expect to pay for and what contributes to your business’s energy bills, as well as how to cut down on energy costs.

 

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What Is The Purpose Of Call Centres?

A call centre is the central customer-service hub of a business.

Call centre agents answer and attend to incoming calls, make outgoing calls, and engage with customers to assist with service- or product-related or sometimes technical queries.

The main purposes of call centres are:

  • to make business operations more streamlined and efficient
  • improve customer service
  • and streamline and centralize business processes.

What Impacts Your Energy Bill?

The more business electricity and gas a call centre uses, the higher its energy bills, and vice versa.

Several factors impact business energy bills, including:

Energy usage

Business size, energy-efficiency measures in place, the number of employees and the location of the call centre all affect the amount of business gas and electricity that’s consumed.

The type of tariff you're on

Businesses have the option to choose between a fixed-rate tariff and a variable-rate tariff:

  • Fixed-rate tariff: Businesses pay a flat rate for electricity and gas usage, irrespective of changes in energy prices. Fixed-rate tariffs are a great way to protect against tariff increases, as your energy bill will remain constant despite price fluctuations.
  • A variable-rate tariff, on the other hand, will see the rate charged per unit fluctuate. As energy prices go up, so will your energy bill, and when energy prices are reduced, so too will your monthly energy bill.

Meter type

Call centres that use a standard electricity meter will pay the same electricity rate, throughout the day.

Smart meters offer business owners two different rates: an off-peak rate and an on-peak rate: Electricity rates are cheaper during off-peak periods, while rates are more expensive during on-peak periods.

Business location

A business situated in an urban area will pay a lot more for its overall energy usage than a business that is located in a rural area. Additionally, two businesses situated in the same city would pay different business energy rates, depending on their location within that city.

The differences in costs are related to the network costs associated with delivering these utilities to a business in a specific area.

Business Energy comparison

Top Tips For Energy Saving In Call Centres

By managing your call centre’s energy use, you can reduce the amount of energy consumed, which in turn can decrease your monthly bills.

To reduce energy usage, consider the following tips:

Reduce the energy consumption of your call centre

Encourage staff to be more mindful of their energy usage. Ask employees to switch off and unplug their devices when not in use. Allowing staff members to occasionally work from home will also help reduce your monthly energy usage.

Adopt a cost-cutting closing routine

Implement an end-of-the-day closing routine. Ask employees to turn off any computers and equipment as they leave their workstations. Turning off the central heating will also help reduce overnight gas usage.

Review your call centre energy bills

One of the most effective ways for businesses to reduce their annual electricity and gas bills is to switch to a cheaper tariff.

A lot of businesses are overpaying on bills because they are on tariffs that are not suited to their needs. Businesses may also be overpaying because they have missed their contract renewal date and got moved to higher, out-of-contract tariffs.

Call centres should, when their contracts are due for renewal, engage and negotiate with energy suppliers for a better rate, to reduce their average business electricity prices and bills.

Reviewing your energy contracts will also ensure that you get a better energy deal and pay a more cost-effective business energy tariff.

Design Elements

What is an Average Business Energy Bill for a Call Centre?

The average business energy bill amount is calculated by using the unit cost and standing charge rates charged by your business utility supplier.

  • Unit cost: This is the amount you’ll pay for every unit of electricity or gas that you use. Unit cost is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
  • Standing charge: You’ll pay this charge regardless of whether you use electricity or gas at your business premises. This flat rate covers the cost of the infrastructure and other services needed to deliver electricity and gas to your business premises.

Besides the unit cost and standing charge paid to your energy supplier, you will also pay taxes and other costs, such as VAT and government levies.

To reduce and keep your energy expenses at a minimum, check that you are on a low unit rate and standing charge. If you are not able to move to a lower rate on both, switching to a lower rate tariff would help you reduce your energy bills.

Compare Call Centre Energy Prices With Business Energy Comparison

On average, small and medium businesses typically use a lot less gas and electricity than their larger counterparts. But this doesn’t always mean you’re getting good business energy prices.

As mentioned, a sure-proof way to maximise your call centre’s business gas and electricity usage is to switch business energy suppliers. That’s where Business Energy Consumption comes in!

To better understand how much energy a call centre consumes, and whether your business energy usage corresponds with other similar-sized businesses, one should compare business energy prices.

Based on this comparison, you’ll know if you are overpaying for your energy expenses, making it easier to determine just how much you should be paying for your monthly business gas and electricity bills.

Conclusion

Knowing how much energy a call centre uses can help business owners get a better understanding of where they overspend on business energy expenses.

Reduce your business energy bills by ensuring that your call centre is on the right business gas and electricity rates. These rates can also be adjusted by your energy supplier, when energy contracts expire or when you’ve switched energy suppliers.

To find the best rates for your business, reach out to one of our business energy brokers. They’ll help you with a swift comparison of leading suppliers.

Implementing cost-saving initiatives in your call centre will also lead to further cost reductions and, over the long run, help businesses save money.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are some energy-saving devices I can install at a call centre?

You can install motion-activated lighting options, and replace standard bulbs with LED lights to reduce electricity usage. Also, instead of using electric heaters, install central heating to reduce your business gas bill.

How can staff be more energy efficient?

Urge call centre staff to use less paper, and only print when needed. Also encourage employees to switch off printers, computers and other equipment when not in use.

How can I further reduce my call centre's energy usage?

Businesses can install energy-generation technology such as solar panels. This will ensure that you generate electricity for business use and therefore decrease the amount of electricity you use daily – this will help in reducing energy bills due to suppliers.