Saving energy is beneficial financially as well as environmentally. By saving energy at your place of business you are cutting energy costs for your business, which ultimately contributes to revenue optimization. Moreover, it’s ecologically very sound and helps you establish a green business.

So, how do you do it – we take a look.

1- Identify what each light switch in your building controls.

Although this may sound like a no-brainer, you should put labels on your light switches so people can tell at a glance which lights they control. A lot of times, people will just flip through all of the switches until they find the light that they need. This can wind up wasting a lot of power. When the switches are clearly labelled, people can instantly see which switch to turn on depending on where they are working in your building.

2- Take advantage of motion sensors.

The vast majority of businesses have rooms that are only used occasionally throughout the day. For instance, you may have a separate room where your photocopier is stored or where you keep your supplies. Instead of counting on people to remember to turn off the lights in these rooms, consider installing occupancy sensors. These sensors will automatically turn the lights on when someone enters the room and turn them off when they leave. These types of sensors can also save a lot of money when used in bathrooms.

3- Take advantage of natural light.

Instead of keeping the blinds closed, open them up and let the light from the outdoors come in. You may be able to get by without turning on the lights in your building by taking advantage of natural light.

4- Choose energy-saving lights.

Consider replacing tungsten halogen bulbs with LED lights. Although the initial cost of the LED bulbs may seem high, they can wind up saving a lot of power over the long run, essentially paying for themselves over time. You can also save money by using special converters for your fluorescent lights to convert them from T8 to T5 tubes. These tubes are narrower in diameter and can save a lot of energy during the course of a typical day. In fact, they may be able to cut your electrical usage by as much as 40%, depending on how long the lights are used during a typical day. Of course, you need to weigh the cost of making these changes with the potential savings to make sure that they are a smart investment.

5- Use hibernation mode on your computers.

A lot of times, people will forget to turn off their computers when they leave for the day. Unfortunately, this can result in a lot of wasted energy. Consider setting your company’s computers to automatically go into hibernation mode after a specific amount of time. Alternatively, you can also look into a program for your network to shut down all of the computers outside of business hours. Don’t forget to check any other electronics that you have at your place of business to see if they have a mode that is designed to save energy. You may even want to invest in timers to control when certain devices are turned on. Even small electronic devices can wind up using a lot of energy if they are running all of the time. Understanding the electrical requirement of your office is of prime importance here.

6- Keep your server room a little bit warmer.

In order to function correctly, servers need to be kept relatively cool. However, the manufacturing standards that are used today result in equipment that is capable of handling warmer temperatures than the equipment of the past. Years ago, server rooms were usually kept it around 18°C. These days, however, you may be able to get by keeping the temperature of the server room as high as 27°C. Find out what the recommendations are for your equipment. By keeping the room warmer, you can save a lot of power without compromising the integrity of your equipment. Ice storage can be a good solution if you require a lot of energy as it can both heat your building and cool your data center. It could be a worthy addition.

7- Label your thermostat.

Depending on the layout of your company’s heating and cooling system, you may be able to save power by clearly labeling which zones are controlled by which thermostat. That way, if people want to raise or lower the temperature in a certain part of the building, they will know exactly which thermostat to use.

8- Change your System

Older boilers are never going to be nearly as efficient as newer ones. This is why a boiler rental can be a good way to protect cash flow and also allow you the chance to get a new heating system that will help cut your energy costs.

9- Make a point of introducing yourself to your building manager.

Spend some time getting to know the person who manages the building where your company is located. They may be able to provide you with additional tips and information that can help you save power. Oftentimes, they will also be able to help you educate your employees as to how to save power when heating or cooling the space.

10- Don’t allow your heater and air conditioner to compete.

Leave a decent amount of space between the temperature at which your heater kicks off and the temperature at which your air conditioner turns on. Otherwise, your heater and air conditioner could wind up running at the same time. You may also want to install sensors that detect whether or not the windows are open to prevent the air conditioner from running when the windows are open in the building.