Let’s face it: running a small business office can be incredibly expensive, especially when you have to keep the lights on. This is even truer if you have to run servers, computers, and other electronics day in and day out to keep your small business afloat. In addition, if you’re like most small businesses, a few dollars here and there can really make the difference for that month, so saving money without having to devote a lot of time to doing so can mean more profit for your company.
There has been a significant increase in the invention and use of technologies that are designed to save power. This means that, without a whole lot of time and effort, you can start saving some cash on your electric bills today.
Motion Sensors
Motion sensing lights have been around for a very long time, but they’ve seen massive improvements lately. Many motion sensing light systems now also have timers and can control not just the lights, but other systems in a room as well. One of the best ways to save money is to have some things turn off when you leave a room, so installing systems like these ensure that you don’t waste energy when you really, really aren’t using it. For example, maybe the computer in the room needs to be on, but the printer, lights, and heating unit don’t need to be.
Programmable Thermostats
It’s midnight and you just realized that, in the dead of winter, you left the furnace on at your office. While it’s never a bad thing to have a toasty office first thing in the morning, running the heater at levels that are meant to be comfortable for a human is a complete waste of money and energy. Luckily, programmable thermostats aim to solve this issue by allowing you to control a thermostat remotely from a smartphone or a computer. You can even set the thermostat to turn back up around eight in the morning so by the time you get back in at eight thirty, you don’t have to wear a jacket while things warm up and you managed to save money by not running it overnight.
It’s All About the Lightbulbs
Do you still have those long, florescent lights in your office? Maybe you even have old-fashioned lamps that take those 60 watt round lightbulbs that, in short, eat up way more than their share of electricity. You can save some serious money and reduce your energy consumption by over 50% if you replace those old lighting solutions with newer ones.
Sometimes you won’t even need to replace any lights – just the lightbulbs – so this becomes a fairly low-cost project that can save you tons and tons of money a month. The best part is that the result is immediate.
Educate Your Office Mates
One of the most frugal ways to save money on your lighting bills is to simply educate your workers. While this in itself may not have anything to do with current technology, employees will likely pay more attention if you integrate current technology. Slides are nice, but interactive screens are better. Having a paper-and-pen meeting can help some, but having everyone take notes with the new tablets that the office bought is nicer. Get creative with the technology you have to teach everyone how to be more conscious of their energy use.
While there’s no one-shot solution for saving energy, there are several different solutions that, when combined, can make a huge difference in how much you’re paying the electric company every month. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little with thermostats, sensors, and education, but really – you should install the lightbulbs.
