03 Nov How to reduce your business’ average electricity bill

Saving money wherever possible is important for every business. Often one of the main areas of expenditure for businesses in all industries is the amount of electricity they use. So how can you bring your electricity bills down to more manageable levels?

Here we take a look at some cost-cutting measures you can take to reduce your average electricity bills, and make sure your business is running as energy-efficiently as possible.

Carry out an energy audit

An energy audit is the bet way to find out exactly how your business uses electricity. It will show you where your main areas of electricity expenditure are, and identify which specific pieces of equipment use the most electricity. It will also flag up areas where electricity is being wasted, so it can potentially save you a lot of money.

Your energy audit should be carried out by a professional electrical firm dedicated to providing solutions for commercial properties, as business environments require specialist knowledge.

Check with your energy provider

By law, all energy providers in the UK have to let their customers know if there is a cheaper tariff available. This includes business customers, so it is worth contacting your electricity provider to make sure you are on the cheapest available tariff, as your business could be spending more money on electricity than it needs to.

It is also a good idea to compare prices with other electricity providers, as you may be able to get a better deal elsewhere.

Have your electrical equipment serviced

No matter what industry you work in, your business relies on a wide variety of electrical equipment to keep it running each day. It is essential that the proper maintenance is carried out regularly on all of your electrical devices, to make sure they are safe and fit for purpose.

Having your electrical equipment serviced can also save you money. As electrical devices age, they can gather dust and dirt, and tend to work less efficiently, causing them to use more electricity than necessary. All your electrical appliances, from air conditioning systems to printers to specialist industrial machinery, can benefit from being cleaned and serviced by a qualified professional. This will keep them working as they should and reduce their energy consumption, saving you money on your electricity bills.

Switch to LED light bulbs

If you are still using halogen light bulbs at your business premises, you are wasting electricity and money. You can light your property far more efficiently by switching to LED lighting.

LED light bulbs last up to 50,000 times longer than halogen bulbs, and can produce the same levels of brightness at much lower wattages, so they use far less electricity. In addition, 95 percent of the energy they use is converted into light, whereas halogen bulbs waste a lot of energy by converting it into heat.

Making the simple switch to LED lighting is one of the most effective ways of reducing your business’ average electricity bills.

Have occupancy sensors installed

Even the most environmentally-conscious of us can sometimes forget to turn the lights off when we leave a room. For a business, this can cause a lot of wasted electricity and money, as it can lead to lights accidentally being left on overnight when there is nobody in the building, or a part of the premises being lit all day when it isn’t needed.

The best way to avoid this is to install occupancy sensors. These are motion detectors which activate the lights automatically as soon as someone comes into a room, and switch them off again the moment the room is empty.

This means areas of your premises which are not always occupied, such as store rooms and toilets, do not have to be lit all day, and there is no risk of anyone forgetting to turn the lights off when they leave. This can save you a surprising amount of money on your electricity bills.

Consult a professional electrical firm

If you would like more advice about ways to reduce your business’ average electricity bills, Brightlec is here to help. We are a highly experienced electrical firm specialising in solutions for commercial premises, and we can perform energy audits, servicing and a wide variety of other electrical solutions. Please contact us for more information.