Can businesses adapt to the new reality of extreme gas prices?
The answer is yes, but you need to act now.
Business gas prices have soared in 2021 and will remain high throughout 2022 and beyond.
Here’s what can you do to reduce your business gas costs?
Choosing the best energy tariff is always a smart move, but there are other, more long-lasting solutions out there, if you know where to look. The no cost/low cost practical steps set out below can help improve your sustainability and energy efficiency, and dramatically cut your gas costs.
10 Ways to Save Money on Business Gas Costs
Before you do anything, make sure you aren’t wasting gas!
1. Cut out Gas Wastage – Use smart meters to cut out gas wastage. Take a look at this Case Study. A simple smart meter was able to reduce gas costs by up to 40% after identifying gas wastage.
2. Switch tariffs at the end of your contract – It may seem common sense, but many companies allow their contracts to expire without renewing them. This means they are put on costly ‘out of contract’ rates.
If you are on ‘out of contract’ rates, contact us now. We can help you get the best available prices now.
3. Collaborate with your staff – Cutting energy costs can be the difference between survival and failure for many businesses. Enlist the help of your staff to cut gas and electricity costs. Let them know how vital it is, both to the success of the company, and in reducing carbon emissions.
4. Check your timers and thermostats – Set your timers to align with building occupancy during the day/night and at weekends, and make sure you are not using gas when your building is not open.
Make sure staff know what the agreed heat settings are and encourage them not to change them.
Only heat rooms that are in use and make sure radiators aren’t obstructed. If they are, then heat won’t circulate properly.
5. Insulation – Check you building to make sure it retains heat. Heat will leak out a poorly insulated buildings like water from a leaky bucket. Make sure it isn’t escaping through badly fitted windows and doors and increase insulation levels where possible.
6. Shut off equipment once it’s not in use. – It’s a fact, ovens, grills, boilers and heaters are often in operation long after they need to be.
7. Carry out an Energy Audit – Carry out a survey on your buildings. You may find there are a lot of no cost/low-cost options to help reduce both your gas and electricity consumption. You can download checklists and tools from Carbon Trust to guide and help you, including the SME Benchmarking Tool.
8. Update obsolete equipment – Many older boilers operate at only 70% efficiency, whereas new ones are 97% efficient. The same with water heaters, grills and ovens.
9 Generate your own electricity – With electricity prices even higher than gas, generating your own electricity is a great way to cut business energy costs. Solar power is a great option for many businesses along with biomass and heat pumps.
10. Energy Management Strategies – The fundamentals of Energy Management rely on continuous improvement in energy efficiency and the prevention and avoidance of energy waste.
Simple, inexpensive web-based software, accessible on phone, PC and tablet, provides instant reports and tools on consumption, wastage and costs. Get alarms telling you that you are using too much gas, and reports highlighting gas wastage when your buildings are empty.