We have explained that switching energy suppliers and moving to green energy can save your business money on energy. However, you might be wondering how else you can reduce energy costs.
Well, in this section, we’ll explain how you can cut back on your energy bills by reducing your energy usage.
Energy-efficient lighting
Lighting costs contribute to a large amount of energy usage at GP practices. This is because high-powered lights are often needed in healthcare facilities to help doctors and other specialists while they are performing procedures.
In many older practices, conventional bulbs are used for lighting, which are nowhere near as efficient as some of the other solutions out there today. Both compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and LED light bulbs are much more efficient than incandescent light bulbs.
CFL light bulbs use between 70 to 80% less electricity than incandescent light bulbs, and LED light bulbs are even more efficient than that. So, if you change every light bulb in your practice to a more energy efficient one, you’ll probably be surprised at the amount of energy you save.
Service or replace your air conditioners and central heating system
Air conditioning and central heating are paramount during the hotter and colder months of the year. Otherwise, your patients won’t feel very comfortable while they are waiting to see a doctor.
Both air conditioning units and central heating systems use a lot of energy, especially if they are operating all day. However, it is possible for you to reduce the amount of energy that these two amenities use.
If you have a conventional boiler that you leave on all day, then it will most likely be responsible for your hefty energy bills. These boilers heat water and provide central heating continuously if they are switched on, which is why they are inefficient.
Combi boilers can provide hot water and central heating on demand all day. But, they only operate when someone turns a hot tap on, or if someone turns the heat up. This makes combi boilers a lot more efficient than other types of boilers. So, if you want to save money on heating, you should replace your old boiler with a combi boiler.
The same applies to older air conditioning units. Older air conditioners use more energy than newer units. In the summer, new energy-efficient air conditioners could cause you to use up to 20% less energy every month.
Renewable energy
As we have already stated above, renewable energy is a great way to save on energy bills. If your business won’t be able to afford to go off-grid entirely, then it is still possible to use renewable energy to save money.
You could use solar energy to power your heating and hot water, which will save you a lot of money during winter. You could also use solar power to power all of the lights in your business during the day.
Energy efficiency training
Your employees probably use the most energy at your business, as they are the ones using equipment, machinery, hot water, lights, and other amenities that require energy. Educating your staff members to use energy sparingly could therefore reduce the amount of energy your business uses.
Some of the ways you can get your staff to be more energy efficient include:
- Teaching staff members to switch off all computers, equipment, and lights when they leave at the end of the day.
- Ensuring that the lights in all offices and rooms that aren’t being used are off.
- Teaching staff members to only turn the heat on when the temperature drops below a certain reading. It is also important to remind them to turn it off if it warms up and when they leave.
- Teaching staff members to only turn air conditioners on when the temperature rises above a certain reading. You should also remind them to turn the air conditioner off when they leave, or when things cool down.
Conduct an energy audit
To reduce your energy usage, you first need to figure out how much energy your business uses. To do this, you will need to conduct an energy audit.
You can contact an energy auditor who will assess your business and its energy usage. This will give you an idea regarding how much energy the various amenities in your business use, which can help you figure out where you need to cut back.