By Henry Brown

If you talk to any business owner, then you will soon find that electricity can be a significant expense. Energy can be unpredictable too, so if you want to stop it from becoming an issue, you need to do everything you can to get on top of your bills while also lowering any expenses while you can.

Get an energy audit

The first thing you need to do is get an energy audit done. This will help you to determine the amount of baseline energy you are using and it will also give you a very clear outline of changes you can make that will help you to save while you are at work. A lot of electricity or utility companies across the country, such as Reliant Energy in Texas, will easily give you a free audit. When this happens, a professional will come to your business location and they will look out for air leaks, insulation issues or even to tell you if it’s possible for you to install some energy-efficient lighting.

Purchase equipment that is energy efficient

Another thing that you can do is purchase equipment that is energy efficient. Before you lease or buy any kind of equipment, you have to make sure that it is rated properly. This can save you a lot of money in the long run and it can also help you to lower as much of your business costs as possible. This is especially the case if you are renting the equipment over the long-term.

Program your thermostat

If you work in a 9-5 workplace, you need to make sure that you turn your thermostat down as much as possible after hours. You don’t need to heat your workplace when all of your team has gone home for the night. Even if your team’s hours do vary, sometimes using a smart thermostat or even a programmable one can really help you. You would be surprised at what a difference this could make to your general operation. If you want to find out more about energy audits or saving energy in general, then the Energy Management Association might be able to help.

Use energy efficient light bulbs

Another thing that you need to do is use energy-efficient light bulbs. This is easily one of the simplest ways for you to save money. Change the incandescent ones you have for ones that are much lower energy. This can include LEDs or even CFLs. This will drastically reduce the amount of energy you use, and it will also make it much easier for you to cut down on the bills you have.

Take advantage of natural sunlight

If you are fortunate enough to have an office space that is full of natural light, then you have to use it. Think about it, if it’s a really sunny day, do you really need all of the lights on? Probably not. Passive solar heating can also warm up the room too, so turn the thermostat down accordingly.

So, saving energy doesn’t need to be difficult, and you would be surprised at what an impact it could have on your business overall!

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.