Christmas is an expensive time of year for everyone and for businesses it’s a period when energy costs typically rocket according to IMServ Europe, the UK’s largest independent energy data management provider.
Christmas is an expensive time of year for everyone and for businesses it’s a period when energy costs typically rocket according to IMServ Europe, the UK’s largest independent energy data management provider.
Putting up the Christmas lights, installing the energy sapping inflatables and turning up the thermostat to combat the recent arctic weather will all combine to push up electricity and energy costs. Employees also tend to be lapse at this time of year when it comes to energy saving at work, with The Carbon Trust estimating that UK businesses lose around £9 million over the festive period by failing to turn lights and equipment off. The recent energy price rises will also add to this festive burden, with many businesses in for a shock when their bills arrive in the New Year.
IMServ works closely with many FTSE 250 organisations advising on effective energy management solutions, including many high street retailers. The company has offered five top energy saving tips for businesses which could help to reduce costs, these include:
- When everyone leaves the premises for the Christmas holiday, make sure all computers, printers, photocopiers and non-essential equipment are turned off at the plug socket. Do not leave things on standby, especially monitors.
- Have you got a Building Management System (BMS)? Has anyone looked at it recently to ensure it is performing correctly? By checking that time schedules and set points are correct your BMS could save you up to 20% on-site energy spend.
- Don’t let your heating system freeze over. Make sure you have adequate frost protection in place – this can be performed by a Building Management System.
- Ensure all your water taps are not left on or dripping. A tap that is left on can waste up to 3,500 litres of water a week. A monitoring system can help to detect water wastage and assist in identifying potential savings.
- Only put your Christmas lights on whilst the premises are occupied and if possible buy a timer so they are switched off automatically every evening.
James Graham, Technology Engineer at IMServ, believes the run up to Christmas is such a hectic time of year that all too often staff are so keen to finish work for the holidays that energy saving is usually the last thing on people’s minds. He explains, “Businesses’ energy use always increases over the festive period, particularly for retailers who really go to town on their festive lights. But there are still a few simple measures that can be taken to ensure energy costs don’t cause too much of a shock in the New Year. Taking a few simple steps can reduce costs and energy consumption.”
He continued, “Leaving a computer on over the Christmas holiday can produce the equivalent of 3 lifesize inflatable Santas worth of CO2, and a heater left on will generate enough CO2 to fill 77 inflatable Santas. Many businesses also leave Christmas lights on overnight and although they may look great, they are using unecessary electricity that few people will see. Leaving lights on in unattended buildings can also be a fire hazard.”
Editor’s Notes
James Graham – Technology Engineer, IMServ Europe
James Graham is experienced in product management and technical support and has over 10 years of experience within the electronics and communications industries.
James has been working for IMServ for 2 years as a key member of the research and development team and has been exploring new technologies for building control and energy Sub Metering.
About IMServ (www.imserv.com)
IMServ Europe Ltd is the UK’s largest independent energy data management provider. The company offers carbon and energy management solutions, helping organisations across all sectors to save energy, reduce costs and control carbon emissions.
IMServ offers an all-inclusive portfolio that covers data collection, analysis, reporting and carbon management. To date over 160,000 sites in England, Scotland and Wales are benefitting from its solutions.
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