7 ways to cut energy costs for your small business

Brought to you by ComEd’s Energy Efficiency Program. Visit www.comed.com to learn more.

Owning a small business can feel like a constant struggle to lower costs, but many owners overlook crucial energy savings that could significantly help their bottom line, not to mention the environment.

These savings are everywhere you look: shining from light bulbs, humming in HVAC units, and burning away in appliances. Cutting costs could be as simple as cleaning a filter or replacing a bulb.

Here are seven ways small business owners can save money on energy costs right now.

What gets measured gets fixed. As opposed to a traditional energy meter, which must be read manually on-site, a smart meter provides instant, wireless communication with an energy provider. This allows the utility company to accurately measure energy usage and bill accordingly, and may even help restore power after an outage. Smart meters enable business owners to analyze their energy use and identify high-use periods down to the hour. Some smart meters even allow users to set a daily energy limit and notify you when you’ve hit it.

According to Energy Star, the EPA program that certifies devices for energy efficiency and quality, LED light bulbs can use up to 90% less energy than incandescent lighting. The especially durable bulbs also reduce maintenance costs over their long lifetimes. Not all LEDs are created equal, though, so be sure to pick bulbs that are Energy Star-certified. While you’re at it, install dimmers to better utilize daylight in combination with artificial lighting.

There are a lot of benefits to upgrading heating and cooling units, especially if there are signs that you need to replace an old system. But not every cost-saving change comes with a price tag. Sometimes lowering energy costs is as easy as cleaning your air filters, which you should do regularly to ensure your equipment isn’t pulling excess energy to break through dust and dirt. A yearly tune-up by an engineer could provide additional benefits.

Just because a device isn’t in use doesn’t mean it’s not drawing power from an outlet. Standby power, or vampire power, is energy leaked to appliances that are turned off but plugged in all the time. These devices don’t consume a lot of power in a day, but those costs can add up over the course of a year, up to an annual savings of $1 per watt of electrical current according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Be sure to unplug heating devices, computers and kitchen equipment while not in use. Or simply install smart sockets, which allow you to regulate power flow from a smartphone.

Stop paying to light up your supply closet and empty break room at all hours. Occupancy sensors provide convenience by switching on lights whenever someone enters a room, but they also save energy by switching off those lights when the room is empty. Install them in areas that are only used intermittently or where people tend to forget to turn off the lights like bathrooms.

Unlike a home, where people come and go at all hours, small businesses tend to host people only at certain hours of the day and week. That makes programmable thermostats especially effective for managers. Match heating and cooling cycles to follow regular traffic patterns with an automatic schedule, optimizing usage even through especially blazing summers and frigid winters.

Don’t rely on half measures and gut instincts to reduce your energy costs. Call in reinforcements with an expert analysis by your energy provider, which can identify no- and low-cost improvements you can make to your energy systems. With a smart meter, this process can even be done remotely.