How much money would you say your business loses from wasted energy? A study by National Grid U.S. found office buildings spend about $1.34 per square foot on electricity. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Energy-efficient solutions can greatly lower your company’s energy usage, while saving you money in the process.

4 Ways to Improve Energy Efficiency

Improving the energy efficiency of your business doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. You can use energy rebates to help offset the costs of substantial energy-efficient improvements. However, a few simple and affordable changes also can make a world of difference. In fact, you can start making these changes right now!  

Replace Your Light Bulbs

The easiest way to lower energy costs is to replace your old light bulbs with LEDs. More often than not, commercial buildings use incandescent bulbs for lighting purposes. This is not ideal, as these types of bulbs require a lot of energy to use, and they create unwanted heat. LED lights use at least 75 percent less energy and are built to last 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Improve Lighting Controls

Your lighting controls can have just about as much of an impact on your energy bills as your light bulbs. Imagine this scenario: You have LED lights installed, but someone forgets to turn the lights off before leaving. In this situation, your lighting is efficient but you’re still losing money because of user error. You can mitigate user error by installing controls that either dim or turn off the lights when occupants leave a room. A few examples of lighting controls include photocells, occupancy sensors, and daylight controls.

Maximize Natural Light

No lighting technology is more energy efficient than sunlight. An office that’s able to maximize the amount of natural light coming into the building won’t even need to turn on lights. On top of that, natural light is free and can have a positive impact on work performance, according to a study from researchers at Northwestern University.

Turn Off and Unplug

Think about all the machines, appliances, and devices in your office that stay on even when not in use. For instance, the printer, coffee machine, or monitors. These electronics are constantly draining power to stay on. However, it’s not just the powered-on electronics you need to be aware of. All plugged-in devices drain energy, even if they aren’t on. If there’s no reason to keep a device powered, it’s best to unplug it until you need it again.

Let GreenBee Help Improve Your Energy Efficiency

At GreenBee, providing energy-efficient solutions is our specialty. Our team are experts at performing LED lighting upgrades for commercial facilities. In addition, we can help you find energy efficiency rebates to assist in funding of your project. Give us a call today!

Contact Us:

650 Warrenville Road

Suite 100

Lisle, IL 60532

Phone: 630-637-0286