Saving energy in your business

Saving energy doesn’t stop at home. Here are some ways to reduce your energy use, and cut your energy costs by doing so.

Thinking ‘green’ means saving water too. For water saving tips, click here.

Tips for saving energy:


on lighting	on heating	on office equipment	on airconditioning	on refrigeration	on commercial cooking	on building design

Lighting

Install motion detectors to control lighting in frequently unoccupied areas, such as restrooms and copy rooms.
Rewire restroom fans to operate with the lights.
Take advantage of available daylight and turn off lights when not needed.
Consider removing excess fluorescent lights and installing reflectors.
Remember that rooms painted in dark colours require more power to produce the same amount of light.
Reduce lighting in areas that need less, such as corridors. This can be as simple as removing tubes from every other fitting.
Clean light fittings annually. Dirt reduces their output and can lead to extra lights being turned on.
Install time clocks on outdoor lighting systems so they only operate from dusk to dawn.

Experiment to determine how long it takes for your space to heat up or cool down. Time your thermostat to turn on shortly before people arrive and to shut off half an hour before they leave, so you keep your premises warm only when it's full of employees.
Install ceiling and wall insulation.
Reduce heating in areas that need less warmth, such as storerooms or areas where heavy physical work is performed. Reduce heating at holiday times, weekends and other times when the building is empty.
Make sure thermostats are set correctly and properly located - for example, don't put them in parts of the room that are draughty or particularly cold or warm.
Don't put furniture in front of radiators because that will reduce their output.
Turn pilot lights off in summer or use intermittent ignition.
Ensure heating and cooling cannot operate at the same time.
Install locking covers on your thermostats to prevent people changing the temperature settings.
Perform scheduled maintenance on units including cleaning condenser coils, replacing air filters regularly, and checking ducts and pipe insulation for damage.

Implement paper-reducing strategies such as double-sided printing, two-up printing and reusing paper.
Use email instead of sending memos and faxing documents.
Purchase appropriately-sized copiers for your company's needs.
If appropriate, use laptop computers - they consume 90 per cent less energy than standard desktop computers.
When purchasing PCs, monitors, printers, fax machines and copiers, specify models that "power down" after a user-specified period of inactivity - and make sure the power-down features are enabled.
Turn off PCs, monitors, printers, copiers and lights every night and every weekend. If you can't turn off the whole computer, turn off the monitor and the printer

Install locking covers on your thermostats to prevent people from changing the temperature settings.
Perform scheduled maintenance on units, including cleaning condenser coils, replacing air filters regularly, and checking ducts and pipe insulation for damage.
Install ceiling fans to circulate air.
Install blinds, or solar screen shades to reduce heat gain.
Install reflective window film or awnings on windows.
Close shades or blinds during early morning and late evening to reduce solar heat gain.
Install ceiling and wall insulation.
Consider installing the most energy-efficient equipment when you purchase a new airconditioning system.
Investigate landscaping to increase the amount of shade.

Perform scheduled maintenance on units.
Keep evaporator coils clean and free of ice build-up.
Adjust door latches and replace worn door gaskets.
Use night covers on display cases.
Keep refrigerators full - water jugs make good fillers.
Install auto door-closers and strip curtains on walk-in freezers or coolers.
Install plastic strip curtains in doorways of refrigerators and freezers.
Install doors or plastic shields on open refrigerator cases to prevent cooling loss.
Set the temperature to match product requirements.
Shade condensers from direct sunlight.

Purchase insulated cooking equipment whenever possible (for example, fryers, ovens, coffee machines). Insulation maintains more heat in the equipment and transmits less to the environment.
Preheat cooking equipment no longer and at no higher setting than the manufacturer's recommendation.
Use cooking equipment to capacity. Fully loaded equipment utilises energy more efficiently.
Filter fryer oil at least once a day to extend the oil life.
Don't overload fryer baskets beyond their recommended capacity. Overloading increases cook time.
Turn ovens down or off during low production periods.
Make sure oven doors fit tightly and gaskets are in good condition.
Operate food warmers and cooking equipment only when needed.
Reduce the temperature on fryers and grills during standby times.
Direct cooling fans toward workers and not cooking equipment.
Clean burners and check them regularly.
Cook food close together and cover for faster cook time.
Remove water and ice from product before frying.
Load and unload ovens quickly to avoid heat loss.
Use properly-sized pots with flat bottoms and tight fitting lids.

Rattles in windows and doors indicate the weather-strip is deteriorating. Replace the weather-strip to prevent heating and airconditioning loss.
Use reflective window tints to reduce airconditioner load.
Check the cost effectiveness of increased insulation in ceilings and walls.
Certain window coverings reduce airconditioner load and retain heat.
Properly place awnings and landscaping to reduce heat gain in summer.