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Energy Insight
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| By Ramy Soussou As an increasing focus is placed on sustainability, now more than ever, there is a need for businesses to use energy wisely. Why? Because the efficient use of electricity and gas has benefits that flow through to all of us. Think of it this way, if we all used energy more efficiently we would:
These savings would help better the environment and our bottom line, reaping rewards for our environment, society and business. So how can businesses use energy more efficiently? There are simple solutions that you can implement today to reduce energy consumption at little cost to your business, which will start to make a difference immediately. |
Initiate
Be prepared to raise the profile of energy efficiency in your workplace. Ask your staff to identify areas where they think the company can save and provide them with an incentive to nominate areas of potential saving. Energy efficiency can be an important part of your businesses culture, so empower your team to actively participate and promote it.
Initiating an energy efficiency program may be as simple as conducting an energy audit. Think about changing your light bulbs to more efficient ones. Ensure your building is insulated, and if you're renting premises, encourage the landlord to invest in roof insulation. This will ensure heat is retained in winter and the office is kept cooler in summer. Also, don't forget that for every extra degree you heat you're building in winter, your electricity account could increase by more than 10 per cent. Over-cooling in summer has a similar effect.
If you have extensive plumbing throughout the building, look at insulating your hot water pipes to prevent heat loss. Considering the location of your hot water system is also important - the shorter the distance the hot water has to travel, the better.
Educate
Understand that without an understanding of energy efficiency and the cost to the business, staff may not understand the importance of turning the lights off after hours or when not needed, preventing drafts and getting something done about that leaking hot water. By educating your staff about the benefits of energy efficiency they will also understand that your business can make considerable savings, and savings mean your business is running more efficiently - that's got to be good for business and staff alike.
Delegate
Encourage your staff to take ownership of energy efficiency. Managers should walk the walk and talk the talk, as they say. Delegating the energy efficiency program to your management team will ensure that all employees understand the importance of using electricity wisely both in the business and at home.
Communicate
Encourage, reinforce and communicate the energy efficiency message. Tell your staff about the changes you're undertaking and if they come up with an energy saving idea, reward it openly to encourage others to get involved. Also consider including energy efficiency in your business performance reporting.
Measure
Accountable staff are pro-active. Set the efficient use of electricity as a key performance indicator. Audit your existing accounts and review them again after you have initiated your energy efficiency program. Be aware of seasonal changes to your consumption patterns, but overall you'll see a favourable result. Measurement ensures that you continue to support energy efficiency, and with the savings you make, you can invest in new technology that will assist you further in reducing your energy consumption and your energy bills.
It's the little things you do that make all the difference when it comes to using electricity wisely. Making a start, by raising the profile of energy efficiency is just the first step.
Disclaimer: This article is supplied by Country Energy. Country Energy is a leading Australian energy services corporation owned by the New South Wales Government. Serving more than 780,000 customers in five states and territories, Country Energy offers gas, electricity, internet and energy efficiency solutions through its dedicated energy answers business unit. To find out how you can save on your energy costs, contact energy answers on 02 4927 7100 or email energyanswers@countryenergy.com.au
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