Running a business means paying for plenty of things you can see. This ranges from wages and supplies to equipment that needs replacing. Now, energy costs are less visible, but if you don’t track and tame them, you will give them room to take a sizeable bite out of your budget. Luckily, making your commercial properties more energy-efficient doesn’t require you to spend a lot of money first. Lowering operational costs can be simpler than that.
Start With the Rooms That Nobody Thinks About
You can’t go straight to the electricity bill and immediately blame the air conditioning if you want to lower energy consumption. While it’s a reasonable place to start, it’s also worth checking what the system is doing first. You might not need to replace it. A meeting room that stays cool for three hours after everyone has left, for example, is costing you money. The same applies to empty offices with lights burning all afternoon.
Walk through your building at different times of the day. It’s crucial here to pay attention to these small oversights. Ask your cleaning team which lights they leave on and why. You can also check whether meeting room systems switch off automatically, and find out who adjusts the temperature when the weather changes. This will give you a good starting point when it comes to making positive changes.
Give Your Air Conditioning a Fair Chance
Heating and cooling systems often account for a substantial share of a commercial building’s energy consumption, particularly in Australian cities where summer temperatures can make indoor conditions difficult to manage. However, an ageing air conditioner isn’t always the main problem. Dirty filters could be causing the issue. Poorly maintained components can increase the appliance’s demand. Even incorrect thermostat settings can force a perfectly serviceable system to work harder than necessary.
This is what makes servicing important. It should be your top priority to arrange regular servicing. Once a professional arrives, ask the technician to explain where the system loses efficiency. Plus, while they’re there, you should discuss installing zoning controls or programmable thermostats that can help you match energy use to your working hours.
Choose Your Next Property With Running Costs in Mind
If you’re expanding, relocating or purchasing a commercial property, pay attention. You must examine its expected operating costs alongside the asking price. Even if you’ve done it before, pay extra attention. A cheaper building might be cheaper for a reason. It could require substantial spending on lighting, insulation, cooling systems, and electrical upgrades. If you don’t know where your next investment is, consider researching commercial real estate in Perth, where building conditions and energy performance are of great value to both sellers and buyers.
Let’s say you’re looking at a property. Before you decide to seriously give it a thought, you should see if this works in your interest. So, ask for available energy bills. Let them know that you want to look into equipment maintenance records and information about previous upgrades. If the property has solar panels, find out whether they’re operational. By the time you decide, you should know how the system is performing and what arrangements apply to the electricity it generates.
Make Lighting Work Around Your Staff
Lighting is an easy expense to overlook. After all, all those individual fittings don’t seem costly. The trouble begins when dozens or hundreds of them operate for long periods. Unfortunately, they often operate in rooms that receive plenty of natural daylight. Replacing older fluorescent fittings with suitable LED alternatives can reduce electricity consumption and maintenance requirements.
Motion sensors and daylight controls can improve workflow, for example, provided they’re installed correctly and thoughtfully. A sensor that switches off the lights while someone is working quietly at a desk will quickly become unpopular, so avoid those options.
Give Employees a Role in Saving Energy
You likely aren’t at your commercial property every week, let alone every day. Your staff, on the other hand, interact with the building every day, so they often notice waste that doesn’t appear in maintenance reports. Ask employees to report issues through a simple process, and make sure someone is responsible for following up.
Keep expectations realistic and normal. Should your employees switch off every appliance manually? Not if your business can automate the process more reliably. They should still have clear responsibilities for equipment that we can’t automate yet. Share measurable results when a change works, including reductions in electricity consumption or maintenance call-outs.
Conclusion
An energy-efficient building is the one that uses energy according to what your business needs. It shouldn’t waste money on systems that run unnecessarily or spaces that are difficult to keep comfortable. When you understand how your building performs, you can make better decisions about maintenance, upgrades, and future investments.