Empowering Denver Businesses to Save Energy and Reduce Costs: Expert Insights

The average business uses more than 20% more energy than it needs, and there are many reasons to take action to reduce this consumption, whether from an environmental or financial perspective.

With energy bills expected to rise by a further 20%, having already reached record levels last year, reducing consumption is more important than ever for businesses, particularly as commercial energy is not included in the price cap.

However, our recent research shows that most companies could do much more to reduce their energy consumption.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of valuable energy saving tips to help your business save money and protect the planet. 

1.   Regularly maintain your lighting 

Almost nine in ten companies (86%) say they do not regularly maintain the lighting in their buildings. This has many consequences and wastes energy and money. Without constant maintenance, lighting levels can drop by almost a third within two to three years and regular checks can reduce costs by up to 15% over this period.

2.  Reduce the heating temperature

Most (85%) companies admit that they are hesitant to lower the heating temperature of their building.

However, even a small reduction of just 1°C can reduce fuel consumption by 8%. So this is a small but significant change your business can make.

3.   Keep radiators clear of obstructions

Less than one in six companies (15%) ensure that their radiators and heaters are always free of obstructions. If blocked by curtains, desks or cupboards, heat can be trapped and unable to reach employees, wasting both money and energy.

 4.   Set the heating in rooms to a constant temperature

Almost seven out of eight companies (85%) say they regularly raise or lower the temperature of their heating system. However, maintaining a constant temperature in the office is much more energy efficient, and while there will inevitably be disagreements about what height to set, if you can agree and stick to one temperature, employees will get used to it over time.

5.   Make use of natural light from windows and skylights

Only one in six (16%) businesses turn lights on and off depending on the amount of natural light coming into the room. If it’s nice outside and there’s a lot of natural light coming into your office, you can probably turn off the artificial lighting or you’ll be wasting energy and money. Perhaps consider moving workstations or meeting rooms to well-lit areas where additional artificial light is not needed.

6.   Invest in computers that are energy star certified

More than four out of five companies (81%) admit that they do not use certified electrical devices. Energy Star-certified computers use 30-65% less energy than traditional, non-certified models, and switching to these computers is a simple and easy way to reduce consumption.

7.   Use recycled paper

Only a fifth (20%) of companies report using recycled paper. Making paper from recycled paper reduces energy consumption by 40% compared to making paper from wood fiber. This replacement is an indirect but great way for your company to become more energy efficient and sustainable, contributing to a better environment and corporate identity.

 8.   Limit printing and photocopying

Almost four out of five companies (79%) are not currently limiting their printing and copying volumes. The typical office worker uses about 10,000 sheets of printer paper each year, which uses a lot of energy.

To reduce energy and paper consumption, try storing forms, manuals, and other documents digitally or programming your copier and printer to print double-sided documents when possible. Also, consider sharing the printouts instead of handing them out to each individual.

9.   Install motion sensors

Less than a quarter (23%) of companies have motion sensors in their offices, despite them being inexpensive and easy to implement. With lighting accounting for up to 44% of an office’s annual electricity consumption, occupancy sensors can be an effective way to reduce energy consumption. Lighting is only turned on when needed, eliminating energy wastage caused by forgetful employees.

10.   Install renewable energy sources

Three quarters (75%) of companies say they have not installed any renewable energy sources. Although this can be a costly initial investment, generating your own electricity can significantly reduce your costs while significantly reducing your negative impact on the environment. .

Solar panels are a great way to do this as they require little maintenance, last a long time and have no ongoing costs. Once installed, they can generate energy for the building for 25 years with zero carbon emissions and reduce electricity costs by up to 40-50%.

11.   Use energy efficient bulbs

Only a third (33%) of companies use energy efficient light bulbs in all their lighting. An energy efficient light bulb uses less electricity to emit the same amount of light as a traditional light bulb. With ordinary light bulbs, only 10% of the energy used is converted into light, of which 90% is lost as heat.

Companies can achieve significant savings of up to 80% by switching from conventional lighting to LED technology. Statistics show that LED bulbs last up to twenty-five times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs while reducing your carbon footprint.

12.   Manually switch off lights

Three in five companies (60%) say they do not manually turn off lights when not in use. This should be the first step towards a more energy efficient and sustainable business as it is a very easy policy to implement. In most cases, there is no need to turn on the lights unless a room is occupied because it simply wastes energy.

 13.   Switch off equipment and don’t rely on standby mode

Only two in five companies (41%) say they turn off electrical devices they don’t need at the end of the workday. This includes computers, air conditioners, televisions, radios and other devices that use large amounts of energy.

It’s also important not to rely on sleep mode because even though it uses less power, devices left in this setting still use up to 50% of the power used during full operation.