You may think that, as winter approaches, it’s the time for you to power up the radiators, adjust the thermostat and forget about the costs incurred – after all, it’s more important to stay warm, right? Of course, it’s hugely important to stay cosy and comfortable during the winter months, just like it is throughout the summer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cut back on your utility bills – at home and at work.
Saving money on your energy consumption doesn’t have to stop at the things that you can do around the home. It’s just as possible to cut back on utilities at work too and if you’re the businessowner, you’re in the ideal position to encourage other staff to join in your mission. While it won’t matter to them that you’re saving money each month, it can certainly have a knock on effect. By gaining control of your overheads, you could have enough cashflow to offer a work’s night out more often, for example, not to mention the positive impact that you and your staff will have on the environment by cutting back on how much energy you use. The average energy bill for a UK business is £2,600 a year – make some changes and you can see this value fall in no time.
Regardless of the business that you’re in, there are ways of cutting back that are available to you. Whether it’s a café, a bar, an office or a shop/service provider, it’s entirely possible. Money is tight and, as a businessowner, surely you’ll do everything in your power to maximise profits.
Switch Suppliers
You may feel like it’d be too much of an inconvenience to switch suppliers but, in actual fact, it’s a fairly pain-free process. Energy is a massive overhead for businesses all over the country, and if you want to pay the best rates for your energy, you will compare the market to make sure you’re signed to the best tariff.
Energy Saving Incentives
Encourage staff members to help you save money on energy consumption by offering them incentives for doing so – remember that staff night out we mentioned?
Take Accurate Meter Readings
Make sure that you’re not signed up for estimated billing because this can be massively inaccurate compared with the amount of energy you are actually using. Taking regular meter readings may seem like another job added to your massive workload, but it’s definitely worth it.
Reduce Consumption
As mentioned earlier, reducing energy consumption will help to save you money. Simple changes in habit can go a long way, especially if you have your staff members on board too. Switching off equipment and lights when not in use, offering staff the chance to work remotely, installing ‘auto switch off’ lights for rarely used areas and turning off the air-con can all help to lower the amount of energy you use on a daily basis.
Cutting back on energy bills may not be life-changing, but it will certainly help to keep those balance sheets looking as healthy as possible.
This article was written in association with British Gas. Whether you are interested in a British Gas new gas connection or you’re researching the options for supply of gas for larger businesses or their smaller counterparts, head online for more information.
