Techblog
20 Energy Saving Tips for SMEs
Many small and medium-sized businesses are strained by the amount they spend on electricity, often without realising that simple steps will save valuable dollars that can be put to better use. While the need for lighting, air conditioning, and power for equipment are unavoidable costs of doing business, waste and inefficiency are not. The New Year is a good time for SMEs to review their energy costs and look for potential savings.
Energy reduction techniques fall into two broad categories:
• Energy conservation means cutting down on energy use - for example, by driving less, or turning down lights during off-hours.
• Efficient energy use means using energy smarter - for example, by driving more fuel-efficient vehicles, or switching to energy-efficient lighting.
Let's take a look at some energy reduction tips that are both economically and environmentally friendly.
1. Lighting
- Turn off your lights when they are not needed. During peak daylight hours, pull up the blinds and let the natural light in, and adjust lighting to lower levels.
- Upgrade your lighting to energy-efficient lights such as fluorescent and LED lights. Swap light bulbs for energy-efficient ones.
- Clean your lights; dust and buildup will reduce your lights’ life expectancy and output.
- Turn off security and safety lights at the beginning of the day to conserve electricity.
- Switch from overhead lighting to task lighting wherever possible.
- Consider placing motion sensors in corridors, meeting rooms, bathrooms, storage facilities or other appropriate locations for automatic light control when people enter and exit these areas.
2. Air Conditioning
- Many places of business are overly air-conditioned to the point of being too cold; turning down air-conditioning a few degrees is proven to be a money-saving trick that many companies can adopt. Use timers to turn off the air-con during out-of-office hours.
- Close doors and/or vents to rooms that are unoccupied to avoid wasting energy.
- The use of ceiling or standup fans can help cut energy bills. Fans circulate air which helps to relieve the discomfort of hot temperatures and high humidity levels.
- When offices are not in use, turn the air-con off. And always check that it's off before you leave.
- Replace the filters regularly. Clean air systems help energy efficiency.
- Regular maintenance and servicing of your air conditioning system helps to ensure maximum energy efficiency and performance.
3. Equipment
- Make sure that computers, photocopiers, and other electronic equipment are switched off or unplugged at night or over the weekends.
- Invest in energy-efficient equipment, including computers, copy machines, printers, scanners, and shredders.
- Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers, resulting in long-term savings.
- Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.
- Repair or replace dysfunctional office equipment that could be consuming energy due to inefficient operation.
4. Other tips
- Lights and machines give off heat, so turning them off when not in use helps to reduce your building's cooling requirements.
- Look for The Energy Label on appliances such as air-conditioners and refrigerators. Buy those with more ticks on the label for better energy efficiency (4 ticks are the best).
- Put up posters and stickers to remind staff about water saving habits, recycling, energy conservation, and reducing your carbon footprint.
Have a question about energy savings or the liberalisation of the Singapore energy market? Why not ask our Energy Expert Mr. H C Chew, General Manager of Sembcorp Power. Send in your questions, or share your own energy savings tips, and stand to receive exclusive premiums that can help you save energy and costs!