Some Easy Ways to Lower Your Shop's Electricity Costs

This article explains how to lower your shop's energy costs while running a business, so save money using less electricity. POS Systems can use lots of power. 

The problem

We all use computers, refrigerators, air conditioners, and other appliances at work. Electricity is one of the most important aspects of running a business. If you want to save money, you'll want to make sure you use as little electricity as possible. There are many other ways to use less energy, which can help you save money on your electricity bill. 

A Case Study

A client of mine informed me that he received an unexpectedly high power bill. It was so much more than they thought it should be; it just seemed wrong. They had been no changes that they could see, so why was it up compared to other bills? 

The utility company stated they could not see anything wrong, so it might be a defective appliance, such as a faulty water heater. Good luck acting on that.

Tip 1-Monitor your electricity bill

Monitoring your electric bill is so important. You should immediately contact your utility provider if you notice anything unusual.

Your accounting program should show whether this is happening. Try looking at the electricity account using budgets and/or comparisons.

This issue demonstrates that you can only fix it if you understand what is happening.

Measuring How Much Electricity You Use

Some meters can tell you how much electricity your home or business uses. 

Tip 2: Electrical meter, a paid solution

An electrical store will have many meters from which you can select. Tell them what you need, and they can help you choose the best type. 

Tip 3: Powerpal, a free Solution

I don't know your state's regulations, but the powerpal a free app for measuring electricity from the Victorian government. To make it work, you need an attachment, which the government provides for free in this country. Here is the link I used to get it for free.

They installed it for me for free. I was taught how to use it after the installer set it up. 

I like this one because, unlike most electrical meters, it can be difficult to plug into the power socket of many of the air conditioners, lights, and other appliances to measure the electricity, but they are easy to turn off. They have a graph that reflects the change almost immediately when an appliance is turned off. So you temporarily turn off your refrigerator, and the chart will reflect the decreased power consumption and cost. Then it connects to my phone via Bluetooth and gives me an always-updated feed of information about my place's power consumption.

I also like the app's graph feature that shows the power consumption in real-time.

Now, if the bill seems off, you can check where the electricity is being used by turning off devices from the fuse box. After that, look into that area. You should be able to locate the issue in no more than fifteen minutes. It can be used in the shop as well as in your home. You can also use it to see where and how much money you spend.

Tip #4: Energy audit

You can also use an electrical meter to conduct an energy audit. It took me about 15 minutes to count all the electricity used in my business. That will give you a baseline figure for how much energy you use and a clear direction for saving energy at work. 

Tip #5: Common sense

Make use of common sense because many people overspend on energy costs. For instance, when it was cold, a girl at one of our clients' establishments turned on the heater, and then she got hot, so she turned up the air conditioning. 

Wasted money here as a result.

Tip 6: Talk to your energy provider.

Talking to my energy provider was helpful. My provider was honest and helpful. Changing your plan to meet your needs is an excellent first step.

Tip 7-Talk to other energy providers

Some state government comparison sites help you find cheap plans; I have not found them much use in practice. However, you may. There are also some private ones; some that I contacted did come up with helpful information. Before you change, ask your current provider; they may match these quotes.

Tip 8-Your gadgets

Conserve power, and switch off gadgets when they're not used. Computers, monitors, printers, and other devices are included. Scanners, printers, and monitors, as well as the majority of computers, can be turned off at night.  Get your employees used to turning them off before they leave. A simple way to cut back is to turn off as many devices as possible at the end of the day.

My boss scolded me for leaving the photocopier at night. After that, I turned it off every night before I left.

Tip 9: Other Ways to Save Energy

There are many other ways that people can help you save energy, like switching to LED lights which are more energy efficient. 

What about using the sun instead of lighting? Install a blind.

Experts can advise you here.

In conclusion

You can do a lot to save money and help the environment, and the environment by lowering your carbon footprint. 

These hints were helpful, I hope.