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How To Save Energy In The Office?

In today’s eco-conscious climate, finding ways to preserve energy has become a priority for most businesses. With the majority of businesses relying heavily on electricity, energy-saving strategies are a growing necessity. Not only are these strategies environmentally responsible, but they can also help to drastically reduce business expenses.

In this guide, we’ll explore some of the top tips and tricks for saving energy in the office. From switching to more efficient lighting to using computers more responsibly, we’ll help you to shave off the excess expenses on your office energy bill. By adopting these practices, you can make your business more sustainable while also lowering your operating costs.

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Top Tips To Save Energy In The Office

With energy prices rising, business owners and office workers are looking for ways to preserve energy and keep costs low. Although there is an energy price cap in place, having a supplier with better business utility prices can help you to save money. But in the meantime, there are still other ways to lower your energy usage in the office.

Below, we’ve listed some of the best and easiest techniques for boosting your energy efficiency in the workplace.

Optimize office lighting

Keeping the lights on in your office comes at a cost. Although natural light is a great way to brighten up your workspace, it’s not enough to compensate for low-light conditions in the evenings or colder winter months.

Instead, you may want to consider switching out your lighting for LED lights. Standard lights use more energy than LEDs. So, these can help to reduce your energy usage significantly – especially if you’re making sure to turn off any lights you aren’t using. You can also use motion sensors to automatically turn lights on and off when employees enter or leave a room.

Use power-saving features

Most office computers and devices have power-saving features that reduce their energy usage. If you want an easy way to save on your fuel bills, you can change the settings on your printers, laptops, and other equipment. Generally, putting your equipment into sleep or standby mode when they’re not being used or lowering the settings can help you achieve this.

Manage the temperature

Aircons are a major source of wasted energy. Staying warm may be a priority in the winter months, and keeping cool can be tough in a stuffy office. Still, there are a few ways to manage the temperature in the workplace without leaving the AC on all day.

Firstly, opening windows can help to bring a cool breeze into the office. In cooler temperatures, closing the windows and blinds can help to conserve heat. You can also turn the AC on to cool or warm the office in intervals, only using it when it’s absolutely necessary.

If you’re using a gas heating system, you’ll want to be careful of running it for too long. Of course, you can also compare business gas prices to pick a new supplier and cut costs at the source.

Turn off the office computers

Office computers and laptops are one of the main sources of energy usage in an office. In fact, other than lighting, computers and other office equipment can leave a lasting impact on your usage. This can be a particularly tricky factor to manage when you have a large business.

It may be best to encourage employees to shut their computers down when they leave for the night or over weekends.

Save extra energy in the kitchen

A good cup of coffee or a strong cup of tea can help your employees to make it through the workday. However, when your employees are making cups of tea multiple times a day, this can add up to some pretty expensive beverages.

For this reason, having your employees make several cups of tea at once can help to reduce your fuel bills. You can also cut costs by unplugging kitchen appliances when they aren’t being used.

Have a paperless office

Having an industrial printer running can significantly increase your business energy prices. So, rather than printing everything, you may want to use electronic documents instead. That way, you can keep the printer unplugged when it isn’t being used and only turn it on when it’s absolutely necessary. You may even be able to get rid of your printer altogether.

Allow for hybrid working

A great way to reduce office utility bills is to allow your employees to work remotely. Home working is a fantastic way to save on office costs, but it may be tricky to implement.

With the cost of living skyrocketing, some employees may prefer to work from the office to save on their own energy bills. So, rather than enforcing your employees to work from home, it may be a good idea to give them a choice.

How Much Electricity Does A Computer Use?

Computers are some of the biggest energy-draining appliances in an office. This is because most employees will simply let their laptops or desktop PCs go into sleep mode rather than shutting them off and unplugging them at the end of the work day.

On average, a desktop PC can use up to 100 watts of electricity. Because 100 watts is equal to 0.1 kWh, each PC will use around 5.6 kWh per week during an average 8-hour workday. This totals out to around 24.4 kWh a month and 365 kWh per year. Of course, this number will increase for longer workdays.

If your office primarily uses laptops, you can expect them to use between 30 and 70 watts of electricity per day. In this case, each laptop will use 2.8 kWh per week, 12.2 kWh per month, and around 150 kWh per year.

Although these figures may not seem like much, it’s important to remember that these figures represent one desktop PC or laptop. So, if you have thirty employees, the numbers will be multiplied by thirty.

With the rising cost of energy, all of these hours can result in a hefty energy bill. Depending on how much energy your small business uses, you may want to compare small business energy prices to save money on your monthly energy bills.

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How Can You Conserve Energy When Using A Computer?

If you want to slash your office energy bills, you’ll first want to get a handle on your energy consumption. To do this, you can use some of these top tips for reducing your energy usage when using a computer:

  • Adjust the power settings: You can set your PC to automatically go into sleep or hibernation mode when it’s not in use or lower the brightness settings to a more comfortable level.
  • Turn off the monitor: When you’re not actively using your computer, you can turn the monitor or display off to reduce energy usage.
  • Use a power strip: Plug your computer and any additional devices into a power strip with an on/off switch. Remember to turn the power strip off when you aren’t using any of your devices. Alternatively, you can invest in smart power strips that automatically turn off when your devices have shut down.
  • Unplug your PC or laptop: Unplugging your PC can help to lower your energy usage. If you’re using a laptop, you should consider using the charger only when your laptop needs charging.
  • Activate sleep mode: When you step away from your desk, put your PC into sleep mode. This will help to conserve energy when you aren’t at your desk. If you’re heading home for the night, you may want to shut your device down instead.
  • Shut it down: Leaving your computer running overnight or on weekends can lead to higher energy consumption at the end of the month. So, if you’re not using your device for extended periods, you’ll want to shut it down and unplug it.

It’s important to remember that even if your office is conserving energy, you can reduce your energy bills by switching to a better provider. If you’re looking for cheaper office energy prices, you may want to compare business electricity rates to find a supplier that meets your business needs.

Switch To A Cheaper Office Energy Deal With Business Energy Comparison

If you’re ready to cut down on energy expenses in the office, you may also want to reassess your choice of supplier.

At Business Energy Comparison, we want to make it easier than ever to find a supplier that works for you – and your business. But if you’re unsure of where to start, our professional business energy brokers are always on standby to give you a hand.

Start your journey and compare business gas and electricity rates with Business Energy Comparison today. Use our price comparison tool and in less time than it takes to make a brew, we’ll compile your best prices from the UK’ s best suppliers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make my office more green?

Unplug your devices and use motion-activated lights to save on your energy bill. Try to discourage unnecessary printing by going paperless.

How much energy does a small office use compared to the average household?

A small office will use between 15,000 kWh and 30,000 kWh of gas and between 15,000 kWh and 25,000 kWh of electricity. The average household will use 2,900 kWh of electricity and 12,000 kWh of gas.