Discover whether you could be saving on what you pay for your GP Surgeries gas and electricity. See the best deals from UK suppliers with Business Energy Comparison.
The UK is in an energy crisis right now, and the rising costs of energy bills are affecting many businesses from a number of different sectors. The health sector, in particular, is facing increased financial pressure, which is making it difficult for many GP practices to stay open.
This is a serious problem; should GP practices begin to close their doors, it will become more difficult for people to receive medical attention and patient care when they need it. Thankfully, here at Business Energy Comparison, we can provide you with free business energy quotes in minutes.
This will help you figure out whether your energy costs are in line with other GP practices. We will also be able to help you if your energy costs are too high, by finding you an energy supplier that won’t overcharge your business. So, keep reading to find out more!
GP surgeries energy costs are due to rise significantly in the coming weeks and months. This is because GP practices are currently protected by having their energy bills capped.
This is, unfortunately, because the scheme that was seeing energy bills capped for GP practices and other businesses will be coming to an end on 31 March 2023. The Government Energy Bill Relief Scheme is a six-month scheme and has been running since 1 October 2022. It aimed to help reduce energy costs for both businesses and residents and did so rather effectively.
The six-month scheme offered discount energy costs for both gas and electricity. The price of electricity was capped at £211 per MWh, while the gas price was capped at £75 per MWh. The scheme was considered to help with the soaring energy costs, as the cap caused consumers to pay less than half of expected wholesale prices.
Now, this six-month scheme is ending, and the government is yet to announce any equivalent support schemes coming any time soon. This means that GP practices and other businesses will be subject to higher energy prices in the months to come.
With the six-month scheme due to end soon, it might be a good idea to see how much your GP practice will be paying for energy when there isn’t a price cap. Most GP practices are open for over ten hours per day, and often use equipment that consumes a lot of energy.
This means that the energy usage of GP practices can be exceptionally high, which is why it is always important to consider what other businesses in your sector are paying for energy. Some providers offer far more attractive energy prices than others, so you should compare your energy costs.
If you find that your GP surgery is paying far more for energy bills when compared to other businesses in your sector, you should try and find a new energy supplier. You will almost always be able to find an energy provider that will offer you lower prices.
However, you will need to look high and low if you’re comparing these prices yourself, as there are so many different suppliers to choose from. But, if you decide to use the energy brokers and consultants we have at Business Energy Comparison, the process will be much quicker and easier.
We can provide you with free quotes from the best energy suppliers in the UK in minutes. This will help you find a deal that suits you and saves your GP surgery money every month.
Soaring energy costs have caused many businesses to find alternative solutions to reduce their energy bills. Some businesses have opted to turn to renewable energy sources to increase their energy savings.
Green energy can protect your business from rising costs, as it will reduce your energy costs, and can even earn your business money in some cases. However, you might be wondering if it will be practical for GP surgeries to switch to green energy partially or entirely.
While the equipment used in GP practices can consume a lot of energy, it is definitely still possible to run a GP practice entirely on green energy. Generally, the most common renewable energy source that businesses use in the private sector is solar power.
If your GP practice is facing increased financial pressure as a result of the energy crisis, then you should consider switching to solar power. While the costs to purchase and install a solar power system are high, owning one can save your business a lot of money in the long run.
However, if you aren’t able to afford to install a solar power system that can run your entire practice, there are still other available options that can save you money.
Solar thermal systems are great if your business’ high energy usage relates to heating costs. Their only function is to provide hot water and central heating, and, as a result, they are much cheaper than solar PV systems.
You could also opt for a solar PV system that only powers certain things in your practice, such as the lights. Lighting contributes to a large amount of a GP practice’s energy usage, so reducing your lighting costs with solar power can save you a lot of money.
If the coffers at your business are full, and you can afford to spend a little more, then you can go for a solar PV system with batteries. With enough solar panels and batteries, you will be able to run your entire practice off of solar energy.
While you will be spending a lot of money in the short term, a solar PV system will pay itself off with all the money you’ll be saving on energy.
If your solar power system produces more energy than your business needs, and your batteries are all fully charged, then you can start selling power back to the grid. While you won’t be making large sums of money this way, it can help you to pay off your solar power system.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
Don’t close the doors of your surgery if the only thing that is holding you back is the continued rise of energy prices. At Business Energy Comparison, we can find you an energy supplier that will supply your business with energy for cheaper, and if not we’ll give you £1,000.
The UK government is yet to announce a new scheme. However, it has mentioned that the energy price cap will be raised to £302 per MWh for electricity, and £107 per MWh for gas. These slightly lower prices aren’t attached to a new scheme but are still capped.
Yes, Business Energy Comparison is very easy to use. All you need to do is provide some details about your current energy provider, where your business is based, and when your current contract expires.
In return, you’ll receive some quotes from top energy suppliers.
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