Archive for August, 2009

Now that our summer is half over, winter is fast approaching and we are in a (dare I mention the R word) Resession, our focus in business is to keep overheads down as much as possible.   Energy is one overhead that, when managed effectively, can be reduced.  Energy is not a fixed overhead but rather an expense that can be controlled……….

Our attention is drawn to heating and lighting our Businesses for the winter or, to put it another way, the cost of heating and lighting our business over the winter. This cost, which up to now, most of us didn’t pay much attention to, is rising and will continue to rise into the future. We all have noticed it at the pumps when filling our car, our electricity bills have increased, our gas and oil bills have risen.

Efficiency is a goal for any small business.  There are technologies and products new to the Irish market (but are proven worldwide) that will save on Heating, Ventilation and Lighting.     It makes sense to invest in some technology that will save you money and go on saving you money on your Energy Costs.

It’s important to all of us that we do our bit to help reduce our impact on the environment, but it’s an easy decision to make when it can also save you money!

There are many ways to reduce cost and become more energy efficient in the home.  Here are five simple steps you can follow to minimise your monthly bill at little or no cost to you!

Step 1 –  Unplug or switch off all phone chargers, battery chargers etc., when not in use. While plugged in they still use energy.

Step 2 – Use your washing machine and dishwasher only on “full load”, (it makes more sense to wait for a full load as half loads use the same energy) and try to reduce the temperature to 30 degrees.  Turn off appliances completely as they still use energy while the “standby” light is on.

Step 3 – Avoid using the tumble dryer excessively, instead use an outside clothes line whenever possible (a difficult thing to do sometimes with our Irish Summers!) or pull out the clothes horse!

Step 4 – Switch off lights when not in use or go a step further and switch to Energy saving bulbs which will greatly reduce your bill.  Energy Saving bulbs use 80% less energy than normal bulbs.

Step 5 – Try taking a shower instead of a bath, a shower uses only one fifth of the energy compared with a full bath.

These simple steps can both reduce your bills and your carbon footprint – everyone’s a winner!  If anyone would like to share their energy saving tips please leave a comment below…