Owning and operating a business takes risk. If you’re not willing to find ways of reducing expenditures without sacrificing crucial elements, your business could be in jeopardy. It’s important to analyze the cost-effectiveness of everything under the business umbrella and determine if it’s a strong decision to implement changes in order to save money and justify the total return on investment. Here are a few pointers you can use in your business to cut down on energy usage to save a little extra.

5 WAYS OF REDUCING ENERGY COSTS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

INVESTING IN SOLAR

One of the most overlooked aspects of energy expenditures in any business is outdoor lighting. You’d be surprised how expensive a single outdoor utility light can be, and so when considering options on how to light your business outside (oftentimes for parking lots), it can be advantageous to think about alternative energy. We’re talking about outdoor solar lights for parking lots, and they can help you save money in more ways than you think! How?

The most obvious reason is that solar lights draw their energy from the sun, so say goodbye to monthly energy bills. The more hidden reasons are because solar lights don’t need trenching or wiring costs, which can sometimes cost more than the lights themselves. In a ten-light system, the cost of electrical infrastructure (including trenching, conduit, wiring, and backfill for the trench) can, in many cases, add on an extra 30 thousand dollars to the total price tag. 

Solar doesn’t cost anything for trenching. It’s just one method of reducing energy costs for your business and saving money in the long run.

HOT AND COLD

You want to ensure your employees are comfortable—nobody likes to work in a sauna or igloo, so ensuring that your building is properly insulated is key. Air-conditioning the neighborhood on a steamy summer day is akin to throwing money out the window.

Getting a full energy audit on your building is another good way to reduce energy costs for your business. They’ll range from 1,000 to 15,000, but you may discover you’re losing that money already with poor energy efficiency. The reason for such a huge gap in pricing is the factors that need to be considered about the business, such as what type it is, exterior considerations, the size of the business, and other details.

Plus, you can get a full understanding of how your entire heating and air cooling vents operate. If it turns out too much hot air is escaping in freezing winter months, that’s more money going out the door. Getting a proper energy audit will cost you, but the savings will add up over time. 

INVOLVE THE WHOLE OFFICE

It’s hip to “go green” as they say, and what better way to demonstrate to your employees that you’re thinking environmentally than to educate and inform your office about strong energy practices?

Using natural light when possible, turning off computers, using dimmer switches, and even unplugging devices that aren’t used regularly are fantastic (and small) ways to rake in pennies that will eventually turn into dollars. That’s just another small but effective way to reduce energy costs for your office. Once again, a long-term investment that will pay off with consistency.

ENERGY STAR RATINGS

We don’t often think about the energy costs that office equipment incur. While you’re busy generating a new dashboard for your analytics, reducing costs might be the last thing on your mind. However, there are small changes you can make with your office computers, printers, faxes, and whatever else consumes energy.

Checking the Energy Star rating for office equipment is a really easy way to reduce energy costs for your business without actually doing much work. When you need to upgrade certain office necessities, consider asking around about Energy Star equipment. If your entire office is full of electronics that reduce the overall energy consumption footprint, the savings will snowball and you’ll see that reflected on your bill.

LOOKING AT THE SOURCE

There are ways you can actually apply for commercial power which can save your energy rates. While energy costs have still admittedly risen over time, residential costs have actually risen at a higher rate over time than commercial energy. Be sure to research methods of acquiring commercial energy over residential so you can start saving early on. Once again, the idea here is long-term investment over short-term gains.

IN A NUTSHELL

If you want to reduce energy costs for your business, do the following:

• Invest in outdoor solar lighting
• Get an energy audit
• Communicate your plans to employees
• Purchase equipment with high Energy Star Ratings
• and ensure your energy source is commercially-rated

This will ensure your practices are on the right path to seeing savings long-term. Some of these steps are bigger decisions while others are much smaller steps that take dedication from a like-minded team to see fruition from your efforts. Plus, you’ll be doing your part in helping the environment—which is always a great thing.

We're Greenshine New Energy, a solar LED lighting corporation based in Lake Forest, CA. If you've considered reducing energy costs for your business, consider solar lighting. Feel free to review our free solar lighting guide If you’d like to learn plenty more about what we offer, or contact us and we’ll give you a quote for a project. Thanks for reading.