5 easy tips for reducing business lighting costs In the continuing economic climate, every penny counts. Energy costs are frequently cited as a significant drain on businesses’ resources - collectively, Britain’s small and medium enterprises inadvertently waste vast amounts of energy, adding up to millions of pounds each year. Luckily, help is at hand for energy-conscious business owners. Just by taking a few simple energy efficiency measures, most companies could reduce their annual lighting bills by about 10% a year. 1 Turn it off Switching off lights that are not in use is perhaps one of the simplest ways to drastically reduce your outgoings on energy. This can be as simple as requesting that your staff turn off the lights in meeting rooms when they finish using them, switching off fluorescent lights at break times and ensuring that all non-essential lighting fixtures are turned off at nights, and especially if your business closes for the weekend. 2 Check Your Bulb Wattage and Size Many businesses pay more than they need to for lighting by inadvertently illuminating their premises to a level brighter than they actually need to be. Checking whether a lower-wattage bulb in your existing fittings would be more appropriate for your lighting needs or replacing older fixtures with smaller lights can really help to reduce energy costs. 3 Take Advantage of Technology Even with the best of intentions in place, sometimes lights are absent-mindedly left switched at nights or when rooms are vacant. Technology like motion sensors can help to ensure that lights are only active when needed and can be fitted to external lighting circuits, as well as staff facilities like kitchens and bathrooms. Timer switches and occupancy sensors can help to achieve the same effect.
4 Fluorescents and Incandescents Fluorescent tubes and incandescent bulbs can be a major source of energy wastage. While incandescent bulbs are gradually being phased out in workplaces around the country and replaced by compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and halogen and LED light bulbs, many maintenance cupboards still hold stocks of older bulbs. Be sure to make sure you replace faulty bulbs with one of these newer variants. Flourescents are at their most wasteful and costly when they start flickering so be sure to replace these in short order. 5 Think Long Term When replacing bulbs, tubes and fixtures, make sure to consider the cost of lighting over several years and not just the cost of the bulbs themselves. Don’t simply opt for the cheapest replacement you can find! More expensive bulbs often have significantly longer lifespans; they’ll soon pay for themselves and after just a couple of years will begin to save you money. For more easy energy efficient tips for businesses, visit the npower blog or sign up for Smart Start (our energy saving scheme for SMEs).
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