Carbon Trust Wales is urging businesses in Wales to save money this Christmas by getting savvy about switching off non-essential office equipment.
This holiday season Carbon Trust Wales is advising organisations to follow its no-cost energy saving tips, which will benefit the environment and could make a real impact on SME’s bottom-lines.
From PCs to fridges, office equipment accounts for around 15% of electrical energy used in all UK offices. This is expected to rise to 30% by 2020. The cost of running this equipment in the UK is £300 million per annum and this is increasing every year.1
With this in mind, Carbon Trust Wales is advising organisations to dispel office myths, such as leaving computers on standby saves energy, and follow its no-cost solutions instead.
Mike Batt, General Manager of Carbon Trust Wales, said: “With the economy facing a possible triple dip recession, it’s more important than ever for SMEs to find low-cost ways of reducing their overheads. Our tips to curb energy consumption over the holiday season won’t involve costly investments or new equipment; they’re about altering behaviours to reduce carbon emissions without paying anything at all.
“Office equipment can be expensive to run if left on needlessly and the cost is set to continue to rise. Businesses who want to put themselves in a good position for 2013 can benefit by switching off computers and lights, and keeping the heating to a minimum when nobody’s in the office. These are such simple steps to take, but they’re often overlooked. Following our advice is a great way to ensure that your organisation is one step ahead for the New Year.”
Carbon Trust Wales’ no-cost energy saving Christmas tips:
1. Switch off the lights.
Christmas lighting and normal lighting both contribute hugely to office energy consumption. For example: lighting an average small office overnight wastes enough energy to heat water for 1,000 cups of coffee.2 Turn off all non-essential lighting when nobody’s in the office and your company could make significant savings.
2. Turn down the thermostat.
Heating accounts for 20-40% of energy costs in a typical office environment, which means there are big savings to be made. Reducing heating temperatures by just 1ºC can cut fuel consumption by 8%.3 When all your employees have gone home for Christmas, turn your heating down until it’s just high enough to prevent frost. That’s all you need over the holidays.
3. Shut down non-essential equipment.
A single monitor and computer left on 24 hours a day will cost around £50 a year.4 Multiply that by the number of computers your business has to understand how much it could be costing you. Make sure that all employees switch their computers off before leaving for the holidays and you could start saving.
4. Don’t forget less obvious energy wasters.
Fridges, kettles and microwaves can all be unplugged over Christmas if nobody is using them and fax machines can be diverted so that only one machine needs to be left on over the holidays. Do a walk-round of your office and see what other non-essential electrical items you might have overlooked.
5. Make a new year’s resolution to contact the Carbon Trust on 0800 0852005 to find out more about reducing your carbon footprint and saving money off your energy bill.