Save Your Money

  
TIPS FOR YOUR BUSINESS


Smart business means keeping your costs low, and that includes saving on energy. Unsustainable practices and deferred or inadequate equipment maintenance can cost hundreds of dollars in lost revenue each year while unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions hurt the environment. Here are some opportunities to help you save energy and money for your businesses:
   

HEATING AND COOLING
  • Close the door. An open door may entice some customers into your store – but it's only one way to get them in the door. Many consumers complain about businesses blasting cooled or heated air to the outdoors so an "open door" policy isn't so great overall!
  • In the summer, create a policy to relax your dress code such as “Suit jackets and ties are not required during warmer temperatures”. Then you can turn the thermostat up, and save on air conditioning.
  • Consider getting a heat recovery system to reduce heat lost from air exiting your building through the ventilation system exhaust. You could save up to 60-70 % of heat lost through air ventilation with an air-to-air heat exchanger, particularly for kitchen exhaust ventilation.
  • Open blinds or window coverings to heat your building and use daylighting when sufficient, and close them to keep the sun’s heat out when you have the air conditioning turned on.


LIGHTING
  • Replace older T12 technology lights with newer T8 lights to shave 25 per cent off operating costs. You’ll also eliminate the "buzz" from magnetic ballasts of T12 lights as you switch to the electronic ballast of T8 lights. If you do switch, we encourage you to dispose of older ballasts and fixtures in an environmentally friendly manner as magnetic ballasts can contain PCBs, and fluorescent bulbs do contain a bit of mercury, which they need to operate.
  • As a lower cost (but not as efficient an alternative to full replacement), remove unneeded light bulbs in areas with excess lighting levels such as near windows, in hallways, and in areas with no furniture. Adjust lighting levels by removing either the two outermost light bulbs or the inner pair from each four-bulb fluorescent fixture and keep a uniform lighting pattern for the ceiling. Save even more by purchasing lower wattage bulbs!
  • Reflectors on fluorescent tube light fixtures increase the effectiveness of lighting, often allowing for lower wattage and/or fewer bulbs.
  • Adding occupancy sensors in areas such as store rooms and warehouses can save up to 30 per cent on associated energy costs.
  • Cut the wattage of recessed downlights by replacing incandescent pot lights with a compact fluorescent light bulb. You will also reduce the load on your air conditioning. Also, be aware that pot lights can trap much of the light the bulb produces, making them inherently inefficient for providing general ambient lighting. Pot lights in ceilings below roofs present another concern. They must be properly air-sealed, insulated, and at the same time kept separated from the insulation in order to both be safe and not allow excessive loss of heating/cooling from the building. Special sealing boxes are available for this purpose.
  • Replace traditional EXIT signs (which by law must be lit whenever the building is occupied, and are often lit 24 hours a day) with newer light emitting diode (LED) signs. You'll be replacing an energy waster of up to 30 watts with as little as 2 watts, and the LED bulbs can last 10 years without needing replacement!
  • During the holiday season, consider decorating you business with LED lights and reduce energy costs for holiday lighting by up to 85%!
     

EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCES
  • Turn equipment, computers, monitors, photocopiers and appliances off when they are not in use. Contrary to what many people think, all electronics consume more energy if you leave them running instead of turning them on and off.
  • Replace worn out computer systems and monitors with those designated as Energy Star ® and save up to 75 per cent of the energy typically consumed by their conventional counterparts. For example, get a flat-panel, liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor and you’ll consume less than half the energy than if you use cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors.
  • If you have a large walk in refrigerator consider installing humidity control systems to increase temperature by 2 to 4 degrees. Because walk-ins are usually storing fresh food or meat, humidity and temp must be kept at the proper levels to preserve food quality. Check with your appliance supplier.
  • If you have a compressed air system, check it for leaks. A small leak of only 0.8 mm (1/32”) can waste up to $100 a year.  
  

SHIFT YOUR DEMAND

In time, all electricity customers will have ‘smart meters’ that will track how much and when electricity is consumed, and time-differentiated rates. Being charged the actual price at the time of consumption will provide incentive for consumers to shift consumption from periods of high demand and prices to periods of lower demand and prices.

Where feasible, shift electricity consumption from times of high demand (often mid-afternoon to evening) to times of lower demand, when electricity prices tend to be lower. Reducing demand at times of high prices helps lower electricity costs for everyone, including you.


TALK ABOUT ENERGY CONSERVATION

Sharing energy saving ideas and tips with consumers, staff, other businesses, and renters or landords benefits everyone and the environment!

  • Train staff on energy saving tips such as suitable temperature control or natural lighting, and they can apply the knowledge in their home. Also, if you are open to their suggestions, they may have additional ways to help save energy in your business.
  • Renters and landlords that talk about and work together on energy efficiency to improve the value of the property and reduce energy bills for all parties!
  • Talking with other businesses (even competitors) can lead you to more ideas for energy saving business practices and make your customers’ shopping experience more ‘green’.

We also encourage you to review the household conservation tips on this site as many will work in your business too – an old fridge is an old fridge, compact fluorescent bulbs work in both desk lamps and table lamps, and a computer monitor left on wastes just as much in an office as a teen's bedroom.