The third of my client blog posts comes from Conor Molloy, MD of Authentic Energy Management Services (AEMS).
Authentic are independent energy advisors & trainers. They help companies increase their profits by reducing their energy usage. AEMS work with businesses to help their people optimise existing building, process and transport energy use.
In this post, Conor offers SMEs his top tips for saving energy. There are more free guides you can download from their website – www.aems.ie
Energy Saving Tips for SMEs
With energy costs increasing, every kWh of energy saved, increases your profit.
If energy is 10% of your business’ costs, then a 10% reduction in energy usage is 1% in extra profit: how many widgets/jobs would you need to sell to make that profit?
Make time to save energy.
Road diesel has increased in price by 100% in the last 10 years. In energy terms diesel now costs the same as electricity: 1L @ € 1.50 = 15c/kWh vs. electricity at 12-18c/kWh. So when you are switching off the lights to save electricity, don’t forget to turn off the car, van or truck engine, it will save you between 0.5L (car) and 2.0L(truck) per hour at idle and more in summer when the air-con is on.
Save on lighting by opening blinds and using natural light; orientate the desk/screen to a right angle with the window to reduce glare – and passing distractions!
To save on IT energy costs, choose a laptop instead of a desktop (20W vs. 80-150W) and move your servers into the cloud; servers may keep your office warm in winter, but will cost you expensive electricity to cool in summer.
Our top tips for SMEs:
~ Slow down to save fuel; choosing to drive at 100kph will save you 25% vs. driving at 120kph
~ Turn off computers outside office hours, it will save you 6,000+ hours of stand-by power
~ Use natural gas (or solar tubes/panels) to heat water instead of electricity (4c/KWh vs. 12-20c/kWh)
~ Tap free knowledge and advice at SEAI (then call us :))
If you need ISO50001 to win business, or a verified savings plan to secure funding, keep us in mind.
Contact Conor Molloy
Tel: 087 255 4070