4 Ways to Lower Your Startups Electric Bills

When you own a startup business, every dollar counts. Electricity bills aren’t an expense that business owners want to spend their hard-earned money on. Fortunately, you can make small changes in your business to see big savings in your electric bills.

Create a Comfortable Environment

When the temperature is uncomfortable, employees will compensate. If it’s too cold, they may bring in space heaters, and if it’s too hot, they might use personal fans. If many of your employees use space heaters in their offices, your electric bill is going to be higher than if you just turned up the heat a bit. Provide a comfortable temperature upfront, so employees don’t have to use electricity to create their own comfort.

Upgrade Your HVAC System

Your HVAC system is a big contributor to high electric bills. If you own your office or office building, then have a contractor perform preventative maintenance on your system. If the system is aging, then consider upgrading the system to one that saves more energy.

If you lease your office building and your electric bills seem higher than normal, discuss this with the landlord and ask about upgrading the system. Although you can’t force the landlord to upgrade, you might be able to negotiate better lease terms. You could also offer the incentive of extending your contract in exchange for improving the carbon footprint of the HVAC system.

Implement a Work From Home Policy

Although you might be hesitant to allow employees to work from home, there are several benefits to consider. By allowing employees to telecommute, you save money on electricity, office supplies, and even things like coffee or snacks you offer for the office. The fewer people using computers at the office, the less energy you waste during business hours.

If you’re reluctant to have a work-from-home policy, start small. Perhaps allow some employees to work from home one or two days per week and watch their productivity. Invest in affordable software that helps track employees’ work from the computers they use at home. Once you feel more comfortable, you can add a more liberal work-from-home policy that saves even more energy.

Encourage Conservation

Just the power of suggestion can make a big difference in your electric bills. Start promoting a green office. Challenge employees to shut down and unplug their computers at night. Don’t waste paper, ink, and electricity by printing unnecessarily. Provide reusable water bottles for your employees instead of bottled water. By creating a greener environment in your office, your staff will become more energy-conscious, which will translate to lower utility bills.

You might feel you have bigger things to worry about for your startup than implementing green initiatives or making sure your employees are comfortable. The fact is that every dollar counts in your start-up business, and it doesn’t take huge changes to save money on your electric bills. You will be glad when you have extra room in your budget for things to help your business grow.

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