Practical Energy Efficiency Tips

Lighting tips

• By switching off lights in rooms which aren’t being used you could cut your lighting costs by as much as 15%
• Make the most of the natural daylight by adjusting blinds and curtains accordingly
• Fit infra-red presence detectors to switch off lights when rooms or desks are unoccupied
• Replace all light bulbs with energy efficiency recommended bulbs, which will use around a quarter of the electricity and last up to 12 times longer!

Efficient building tips

• Only boil as much water as you plan to use
• Use large equipment during off-peak hours whenever possible
• Ink-jet printers use 90% less energy
• Recycle paper and help protect trees, as they absorb CO2 – which can only help
• Encourage employee car sharing schemes – the National Statistics Office report that if every person who regularly drives to work on their own were to get a lift with someone else just once a week, we would reduce traffic by 12-15%!
• Only use heat and light appliances when you really need to  
• Draught proof all windows. 20% of your heat can be lost through poorly insulated window frames and single glazed windows

Electrical tips

• Buying a new energy efficient fridge could save you up to £45 a year and also has a lesser carbon dioxide output
• Be sure to turn off equipment and lights after hours
• Laptops use 90% less energy
• Use your energy saver modes on equipment
• Only buy energy star certified equipment
• Switch off PC screens when not in use, screens do not use less energy when in ‘screen-saver’ mode. PC screen consumption can often represent at least a third of the electricity consumption in a modern office. Most of the wasted energy is given off as heat which your air conditioning unit will have to get rid of in the summer…using more energy!

Heating tips

• If your office/workplace operates on a Monday – Friday basis turn off the heating at weekends
• Check thermostat setting regularly, the maximum recommended heating level for businesses is 19°C 
• Close curtains or blinds at the end of the day to stop heat escaping through the windows
• To eliminate draughts and wasted heat use an easy-to-fix brush or PVC seal on your exterior doors
• A low cost, short-term alternative to double glazing is to tape polythene across window frames
• Don't waste your money - turn your thermostat down by 1°C. It could cut your heating bills by up to 8%
• Hot water does not need to be scalding! In general, setting the cylinder thermostat at 60°C/140°F is fine and saves up to £10 per year
• An insulating jacket for your hot water cylinder doesn’t cost much and will easily and quickly pay for itself. By fitting a British Standard jacket that's at least 7.5cm thick (approx £10) you will save £10-£15 a year
• The sun is the cheapest source of heat. So make the most of it by opening internal doors of any rooms that get more sun than others allowing hot air to circulate throughout

• Healthcare
• Hotels and Pubs (Hospitality)
• Offices
• Residential Homes
• Retail
• Schools and Colleges