Tracking your energy consumption
15 March 2018
When you run your own business, energy management is likely to be the last thing on your mind.
Between supply chain management, customer sales, billing, and meeting legal requirements, understanding how energy is used feels like a nice to have.
However, Department of Energy & Climate Change Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Guide to Energy Efficiency, 2015 estimates ‘SMEs could reduce its energy bill by 18-25% by installing energy efficiency measures with an average payback of less than 1.5 years. And it is estimated 40% of these savings would require zero capital cost. ’1
Where do I start?
SMEs can start by understanding how much energy they use, how much it costs, and where it is used. To understand how much energy you use, and how much it costs, a business owner can check their energy bills for the last 12 months, in terms of energy (kWh), and costs (£). It is important to keep track of kWh as energy prices change.
Consumption ideally should be checked against the meters once a month, as a minimum. Where the actual consumption (kWh) varies from the billed value (kWh), especially where the billed value is significantly higher than the actual consumption, business owners should call their energy supplier to rectify the difference.
Keeping a regular record of actual energy consumption will also provide a simple way to see if the energy saving measures you have introduced has reduced your bills.
A ‘walkabout’ around your shop, both customer-facing, and back office will help you identify areas where you might save energy without compromising on quality. The next article looks at the savings Ealing Cycles made from making small changes. The attached document will provide you with ideas of a range of measures you can undertake in category of measure.