Electricity runs through your business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. How many hours do you and your employees spend at work? If, like most businesses, 40-60 hours per week are spent in the building. Usually off hours or weekends are used for cleaning crews. If you deduct the usual 60 hours the building is occupied from a weeks worth of total hours which of 168, you are wasting electricity in an empty building for 108 hours per week.
Cut back
One of the first things to do to save electricity is monitor the usage when the building is occupied. You can do a few subtle things such as removing every other light bulb in non productive areas, like hallways or restrooms. But, remember not to compromise security, such as lighting in parking lots, these need to be kept well lit. If your building has separate offices, install switches that will turn off the power to the office outlets, or use power strips that can be shut off. It is important that computers and printers are all shut down at the end of each day. You can also install motion detectors which shut off lights when movement is not detected in a room. Look into using LED lighting, it is more economical than conventional lighting.
Timers
Don't underestimate the value of using timers in your building. By installing timers on electrical appliances such as soda machines, water coolers, and anything that is only used during working hours, you can make sure they will power off during closed hours. It is interesting to understand that if you put a timer on a refrigerator or soda machine that is set to go off two hours before you close and on two hours before you open your office in the morning, you will save 14 hours of electricity to that appliance, and still keep the items cold. Check with the manufacturer's instructions or an electrician before you install timers to make sure you will not void the warranty, or cause an onboard computer to reset when it powers up.
Water Heaters, Furnaces, and Air Conditioners
It is important not to heat or cool areas that do not need to be climate regulated. These areas are usually non occupied areas such as basements or storage areas. In winter, you need to make sure water pipes are not in danger of freezing in unheated areas of the building. These pipes can be wrapped in a heating wrap or insulation. In hot weather, vent fans may be more economical in storage areas than air conditioning.
Remember that your building is empty more than it is used during a 24 hour period. Use timers to control healing and air conditioning. Have a timer installed on hot water heaters to turn them off during the night.
Hire a Professional
Be sure to hire a professional to audit and modify your current electrical system. They can give you suggestions on how to save money.
Rae Manchester - Consultant and entrepreneur, Rae E. Manchester has owned several businesses in Connecticut, worked with government agencies and with High ...
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