Do you want to use your business energy more efficiently? We take a look at some of the best energy saving appliances that will save you money.
As a business owner one of the biggest challenges you will face is taking care of your expenses. Your energy bills will be a big part of these expenses and it should be important that you don’t overspend and use your energy as efficiently as possible. There are many ways you can do this, and you can see our other blog at the bottom of this page about making your business more energy efficient, but here we are going to talk about some energy saving appliances that can help keep your energy bills down. There are of course things like switching to energy saving light bulbs which do make a difference but we are going to take a look at some energy saving appliances.
Air Conditioning
HVAC systems (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) will be one of the biggest culprits for taking up the most energy consumption. Manufacturers of HVAC systems over many years have tried continuously to improve the energy efficiency of their systems, because of this the more modern systems result in energy savings of between 15% and 20%. The more modern systems will use air rather than water to create and distribute heat throughout your building. Working with air saves energy and your utility bills will look better for it. If you still have the same HVAC systems that were there when you moved into the premises then maybe you should think about replacing them with more modern systems, as this will pay off in the long run.
Fridges and Freezers
Fridges and freezers are an appliance you really should be making sure is energy efficient as they run 24 hours a day, every single day. It's probably a good rule of thumb that you should change your fridge if you think you have had it for more than 10 years and replace it with a newer, more energy efficient fridge or freezer.
Printers
If you work in a paper based office then you will no doubt require the use of printers, but these machines use more energy than you may think. Acquiring a printer that uses up less energy is a simple process, as newer printers have power saving modes such as automatic sleep and wake up modes. Replace your printers with newer models and you will save money on your utility bill in the long run.
Dishwashers
The energy efficiency standards for dishwashers have improved in the last few years. There are some brilliant energy efficient dishwashers on the market, with plenty to choose from. It is worth considering switching dishwashers if you have a machine that’s over a few years old.
Laptops
Replacing computers with laptops may be a great idea to save plenty of space, but they are also great for saving energy. The fact they are more compact and have smaller screens means they use a lot less energy than their counterparts. Each computer you replace with a laptop could save you up to £19 a year. This may not sound like much but the more computers you have the bigger the savings in the long run, and this switch combined with the switching of other appliances could save you a lot of money.
Energy saving lighting
The most common kind of energy saving light bulbs are LED’s (light emitting diodes). One of the reasons they are the most common kind is because they are adaptable, as they can replace spotlights or dimmable lights. The other kind of energy saving bulbs are CFL’s (compact fluorescent lamps) but LEDs save more energy than CFLs do. Replacing all your bulbs with LEDs is a great way to save energy and money on your electricity bill.
Other tips for saving energy
As well as turning to more energy efficient appliances there are also some great general tips to improve the energy use in your business.
Only light up areas of the building that are in use.
Switch off appliances at the mains when they are not needed.
Reduce the heating in the office by just 1°C. This will not affect the comfort of your employees but will save you money in the long run.