Small business owners are coming up with increasingly creative ways to reduce their energy usage – such as ditching hand driers, and installing air fryers. A study of 500 SMEs, with between five and 50 employees, found 78 percent have adopted more cost-saving working practices over the last 12 months, to reduce their energy usage.
And 24 percent of those taking these steps have put at least six new measures in place. Other energy efficiencies include limiting the time the heating is turned on (33 percent), and removing printers or trying to be completely paper-free (21 percent).
It also emerged four in 10 are turning down the flow temperature on their boiler by four degrees, while 43 percent turn off and unplug office equipment on a daily basis.
The research, commissioned by British Gas, found others have installed motion sensor lightbulbs (23 percent), replaced traditional lighting with LEDs (45 percent), and use different types of heaters and heating systems (20 percent).
These measures have led to the average small business owner saving £450 on energy bills over the last 12 months.
Matt Wood, enterprise director at British Gas Business, said: “Small changes can make a big difference to energy consumption in the workplace, and it’s encouraging to know a lot of SMEs are actively doing things to keep costs down.
“Although prices have come down slightly, we know many small businesses are struggling with their energy costs, and we’re continuing to help them find ways to be more energy efficient, and save on their bills.”
The study also found 35 percent of office energy-savers have found their measures to be “very effective” since first starting them.
As many as 78 percent have encouraged employees to make suggestions, as one in four believe their staff enjoy these new measures just as much as they do.
And 74 percent have never paid more attention to finding ways of cutting their energy costs, than they have over the last 12 months.
More than four in 10 (45 percent) say they don’t plan to relax any of the measures they have implemented so far – although 18 percent claim the opposite. And when it comes to the year ahead, 36 percent claim they are likely to introduce yet further energy-saving steps.
It also emerged 34 percent have very much enjoyed implementing energy-cutting methods, and 66 percent find it easy trying to come up with new ways to save energy within the workplace.
Aside from the energy cost-saving aspect, nine in 10 also feel it is good that a lot of their methods are simultaneously having a positive effect on the environment.
In fact, 21 percent of all those polled, via OnePoll, claim that reducing their company’s carbon footprint is more important to them than reducing costs.
Matt Wood added: “By implementing small, energy-saving hacks into their day-to-day operations, businesses can start to reduce their overall environmental impact, too.
“While saving on bills might be their primary motivation right now, rather than becoming more sustainable, businesses can feel reassured that the changes they are implementing are helping to drive down costs and carbon at the same time.”
