Tips from an Electrician: Low Cost Ways to Reduce Your Commercial Energy Bill

Almost every business could benefit from reduced power bills – except perhaps the power companies themselves. But many power saving options cost you money upfront: solar power installation, new water heaters, and insulation aren’t cheap. And that initial outlay may not be viable for you right now. So, what can you do to reduce your commercial energy bill?

This article will outline some simple, low-cost ways you can reduce your annual spending on energy without spending a small fortune.

These aren’t going to make as drastic a difference as those larger investments. But you can reduce your bill by a hundred dollars or more each year by making these changes.

Keep Your Premises Clean

Having a clean business premises makes sense. Your staff and customers should want to spend time in your space and providing a clean, well-kept interior puts you on the right path.

But it can also save you money.

HVAC filters clogged by dirt and dust require more energy to function efficiently. If you think about it, the unit needs to work harder to perform the same amount of work. Cleaning the units every 30 days keeps them performing, with minimal energy output.

Use Your Blinds

Opening your blinds during winter or closing them during summer can make a difference to your heating and cooling costs over time. If it means you can switch the lights off too and use natural light, that’s even better.

Use Smart Power Strips

Known as electronic vampires, the small lights that stay on or the small amounts of power that are fed into idling mobile phone chargers or printers cost you money. Smart power strips detect when devices aren’t in use and cut power to those devices.

A secondary benefit to this is that it reduces the amount of heat being produced by idling electronics, so it can reduce your cooling costs. As an added bonus, they typically offer surge protection too. So, if you don’t already have surge protection in place, smart power strips are the obvious upgrade.

If you want a completely free option, you can just unplug everything at the end of the day. Smart power strips remove the risk of human forgetfulness and laziness and do the work for you. Find out more about vampire loads and smart power strips here.

Install LED Lights

If you’re not already using LED lights, it’s time. They last longer and they use significantly less energy – in fact, they use 90% less energy than incandescent light bulbs.

Oh – and turn off your lights when you’re not using them. Sensor lights can remove the element of human error here and may be a worthwhile investment if you have spaces in your office that aren’t in use for the full day.

Only Run Your Office Dishwasher When It’s Full

If you have a dishwasher in your office, fill it up before turning it on. This will help you get the most bang for your buck.

You can also adjust the settings so the appliance uses less energy during the wash cycle. Reducing the temperature of the water or letting the dishes air dry instead of relying on the heat cycle are two easy ways to reduce overall energy consumption – and your electric bill.

Learn more about dishwasher efficiency and best practice.

Program Your Thermostats

Heating and cooling costs account for a good portion of your electric bill so small changes can add up to large savings. Programmable thermostats let you control the temperature when you’re not in the office.

Given you can save an estimated 10% on heating and cooling costs by adjusting your thermostat by just a few degrees either way (when you’re not in the office), it’s a worthwhile change.