Energy-conscious small business owners have managed to shave £450 off their bills in the last 12 months by implementing measures such as installing motion sensor light bulbs and installing deep fryers in the office kitchen.
Research conducted among 500 SMEs, employing between five and 50 people, found that 78% have taken steps over the past year to reduce their energy use, and 24% of them have introduced at least six new energy-saving practices. costs.
Some of the most common include switching from traditional lighting to LED lighting (45%), getting rid of printers, or striving to eliminate paper completely (21%).
Meanwhile, one in three have restricted the amount of time they have their heating on, and 20% have tried another type of heating system or heater.
And 40% have lowered their boiler flow temperature by four degrees; 35% agree that the measures they have taken have been “very effective” since they implemented them.
In fact, three-quarters of respondents (74%) said they had never tried as hard to find new ways to reduce energy costs as they had in the past 12 months.
The research was commissioned by British Gas Business, whose business director Matt Wood said: “Small changes can make a big difference to workplace energy consumption, and it’s encouraging to know that many SMEs are actively doing things to keep costs down. .
“Although prices have dropped slightly, we know that many small businesses are struggling with their energy costs and we continue to help them find ways to be more energy efficient and save on their bills.”
The study also found that up to 78% of SME owners have encouraged their employees to make suggestions, and one in four believe their staff enjoy these new measures as much as they do.
More than four in 10 (45%) say they do not plan to relax any of the measures they have implemented so far, although 18% say otherwise. And as for next year, 36% say they are likely to introduce even more energy-saving measures.
It also emerged that 34% have been very happy to implement energy reduction methods, and 66% find it easy to try to find new ways to save energy in the workplace.
Apart from the energy saving aspect, nine out of 10 also consider it good that many of their methods have a positive effect on the environment at the same time. In fact, 21% of all respondents, via OnePoll, say that reducing their company’s carbon footprint is more important to them than reducing costs.
Matt Wood added: “By implementing small energy-saving tricks into their daily operations, businesses can also begin to reduce their overall environmental impact.
“While saving on bills might be their main motivation right now, rather than becoming more sustainable, businesses can feel confident that the changes they are implementing are helping to reduce costs and carbon emissions at the same time.”
TOP 20 ENERGY SAVING METHODS IN THE OFFICE:
- Replace traditional lighting with LED bulbs
- Turn off or unplug electrical devices and equipment daily
- Reduce the heating temperature on the office thermostat.
- Change the light bulbs with lower wattage ones.
- Limit the time the heating is on
- Turn off the lights and work with natural light.
- Lower the flow temperature in the boiler.
- Install motion sensor light bulbs
- Use paper towels in bathrooms instead of hand dryers.
- Encourage working from home whenever possible.
- Go paperless or eliminate office printers
- Minimize in-person/office work days
- Upgrade to a more efficient heating system
- Encourage meetings to be held online, rather than in the office.
- Turn on the dishwasher only when it is full
- Encourage energy reduction challenges among employees.
- Give everyone a break during peak energy usage hours
- Only allow use of the site/office when natural lighting is available.
- Limit the amount of time people can use the kitchen.
- Get a fryer for employee use