There is a chance that your business is on an energy contract that doesn’t suit the specific needs of your circumstances. For example, a small business operating on regular hours but has a three-rate energy tariff can lead to overpaying your energy bills. In such cases, it’s a good idea to contact Utility Bidder to help you switch to a standard tariff so that you can make some savings.
Ideally, if you are with an energy supplier or you are on an energy deal that doesn’t suit your business model, then you need to switch energy suppliers so that you can get the right energy deal for your business. And, many business owners agree that their top unpredictable expense is energy costs. Most of the energy is used in the form of electricity. To reduce your energy costs, you need to implement some energy-efficient practices. This post discusses how you can reduce your business energy consumption and spending.
Energy-Efficient Practices
Reducing energy consumption can help to lower your energy bills, and there are several easy ways you can do this. You can use energy-saving bulbs that can consume less energy and they can also last longer. Even better, you can get bonus points when your business utilizes motion sensor lights to make sure that the vacant areas don’t use light unnecessarily.
There is no need to avoid making tea, but you have to turn off all the appliances when you are not using them. This can also help you to lower wasteful energy usage. You can also turn off coffee machines and TVs when you leave the workplace so that you can save on energy bills.
No doubt, the best way you can save on your business energy bills is simply by reducing your energy usage. Minor changes in your workplace can make a significant difference. You can turn the lights off, use more efficient light bulbs, and switch off appliances when you are not using them to assist in lowering energy wastage.
There are some businesses that can qualify for a lower VAT rate, which is 5 percent rather than the business standard 20 percent VAT rate. To qualify for this, your business needs to use less than 33 kWh of electricity each day.
There are also some exemptions where energy is used in households, not-for-profit organizations, and certain charities. There are also some incentives for businesses that adopt renewable energy generation. There is the feed-in tariff that was designed to let businesses produce their energy via the likes of solar panels.
Renewable Energy
If you desire not to use fossil fuels and decide to use renewable energy, then there are usually two options available for you. You can decide to buy green energy from an energy supplier or you can choose the self-sufficient option and install your equipment to produce your electricity.
You should note that there are few green tariffs that can supply 100 percent renewable energy. You can find some energy suppliers that may package non-renewable energy as green by just buying the certificates needed by the energy regulator to advertise as renewable tariffs.
There are several equipments that your business can install to be self-sufficient. One of them is the solar panels that you can install on the side or top of your property so that they can utilize sunlight to produce electricity.
There is also wind power, which can be ideal if your business has a large amount of land. You can install wind turbines so that they can use wind to generate electricity.
There are also biomass systems that can generate electricity by burning organic material like straw that you can combine with heat and power plants. Lastly, you can use hydroelectric power where you can generate electricity from flowing water via a waterwheel or turbine.
You can save a lot of money by using renewable energy. Remember that you can save on business energy by utilizing renewable sources and you can also earn some money over time. The amount of money you can save tends to depend on your business situation, so it makes sense to contact an energy expert to find out how much your business can benefit.
There are many initiatives available for businesses to use renewable energy. Most of these initiatives come as funding options for businesses designed to encourage them to adopt sustainable habits. For example, there is the Enhanced Capital Allowances that assist businesses to buy energy-saving equipment. To benefit from this, you can claim the equipment against taxable profit.
There is also the Green Deal that can help you pay the costs of adopting renewable technologies by reducing the costs of your energy bills. Also, the government-funded Salix finance offers interest-free loans to businesses that desire to adopt renewable energy. And, the Power Purchase Agreement can allow your business to sell your provided electricity to a private entity.
It’s worth noting that there are also several other ways you can benefit from using renewable energy. This includes adding extra income, stabilizing energy costs, improving your business reputation, reducing your emissions and carbon footprint, offering you access to energy subsidies, and being exempt from paying CCL.
There are also several ways your business can begin to utilize renewable energy sources. The good thing is that most business owners desire to contribute to saving the earth, but not every business fits to adopt renewable energy methods.
Therefore, before you decide to adopt renewable energy, there are a couple of things worth considering. First of all, you have to get planning permission before you install any renewable equipment. This is why it is important to have your property so that you can make some changes.
Aside from this, your building may need to be changed to fit the connection requirements. You should remember that your premise has to be surveyed to make sure that you are choosing the right renewable energy source for the business. Lastly, you need to ensure that you follow the legal obligations and regulations.
