Cut Energy Usage
We're so accustomed to on tap, cheap energy that we take it for granted - and that makes us careless and blasé about energy usage. Wasted energy - energy usage that you just don't need - is money down the drain. A LOT of money down the drain. Simple measures can have a radical effect on energy bills.
There are lots of ways to cut down unnecessary energy use:
LIGHTING
Save a huge 75 - 80% of lighting costs. There are lots of different types on the market and although they cost more iinitially they pay for themselves within 8 - 9 months and last up to 10 years... making savings for the whole of that time. You may like to read how one North East business saved £600 per year on lighting energy costs in the
Daylight is a free form of lighting (and heating). To make the most of it try the following:
Keep windows clean. Make sure window hangings are well away from the glass area of windows to let in as much light as possible. Place desks, staff areas and customer service areas near to windows and other sources of natural light. Use light coloured paints and furnishings, and hang mirrors to maximise natural light. Open internal doors to sunny rooms to let the light (and heat) permeate.
The wrong lampshade can dramatically cut light, so use a highly reflective one. Keeping bulbs and shades dust free can maximise light - but be careful to choose an effective lampshade in the first place.
Use shades to direct the light at the floor to maximise the light, cut upward light pollution and see the stars again! Keep outside lights clean. Consider solar light kits - you can get the familiar garden lamps but also solar powered flood lights, security lights and outdoor work lights.
Leaving lights on unnecessarily is a big contributor to waste. Consider internal and external time or motion sensors to ensure lights are off when not in use. Kits are easy to fit and can pay for themselves very quickly, depending on use.
HEATING
1. Turn down heating
- Turning down your heating by just 1º can save up to 10% on your heating bills.
- Many customers of hotels, restaurants and shops think inside temperatures are just too hot. In shops, where customers are wearing their outdoor clothes, this can result in customers leaving sooner than they would otherwise.
- Keep temperatures between 16º at night and 21º during the day - less in a shop.
2. Reduce heating times
Make sure the heating isn't coming on too early, staying on for unnecessary lengths of time or going off later than it needs to.
3. Service the boiler
'Coked up' boilers are inefficient. They use more energy than they need to - and can be dangerous. Service every 12 months.
4. Maximise light and sunlight
Daylight is a free form of lighting and heating.
- Make sure window hangings are well away from the glass area of windows to let in as much light as possible.
- Open internal doors to sunny rooms to let the heat circulate.
5. Close curtains or blinds at night
Lots of heat is lost through glass. Cover the windows at night to keep heat in a room.
6. Don't obstruct radiators
- Keep furniture and obstacles away from radiators.
- Don't 'lag' them by covering with towels etc.
- Consider fitting a radiator shelf - it throws out heat at waist height rather than warming up the ceiling.
- Consider fitting reflective sheets behind radiators - as much as 40% of heat can be absorbed warming up the wall behind!
7. Consider switching to a more efficient boiler
If your boiler is getting a little tired, consider replacing it with a more efficient one. Or even better change it for one which uses a renewable power source. You may like to read how one North East business switched to a combined heating and power generation system that gave them 85% efficiency: Combined Heating and Power Case Study - Gisborough Hall.
WATER HEATING
1. Don't overheat water
Keep the water at 60º - any hotter is unnecessary and heating water is very energy hungry.
2. Lag hot water tanks
Lagging a tank effectively can conserve 20% of the heat. Costs are from £10.
3. Lag hot water pipes
Lag the ones between the boiler and the tank to stop heat being wasted before it reaches its target.
4. Fix dripping taps immediately
A dripping hot water tap can waste a bathful of hot water overnight.
5. Encourage showers rather than baths - but only if they are hot water system showers
A shower uses about 50 - 60% less water than a bath - and therefore less energy to heat the water. However...
6. Use hot water system showers rather than electric showers
Electric showers can draw a whopping 9kw - 12kw making them one of the most expensive ways to heat water for washing unless the shower is very quick indeed and there are no other hot water needs. Opt instead for showers that draw from the main hot water system.
7. Avoid running hot taps unnecessarily
A running tap sends 6 litres of water down the drain a minute. Also, each time you run a hot tap, the water must run from the tank to the tap, flushing out the cooler water that is already sitting in the pipes before the warm water reaches you. Each time you turn the tap off, all the hot water in the pipe between the tap and the tank sits there cooling, and the water taken from the hot tank is replaced by cold water which must be heated. Think before you use the hot tap to rinse something - would the cold one do just as well?
LAUNDRY
1. Wash at 30º
- A 30º wash uses 1/3 less energy than a 60º one.
- Use coloured sheets and towels to avoid having to get the energy intensive 'whiter than white' look.
2. Reduce (or eliminate) tumble drying
- Tumble driers are one of the most energy intensive appliances. They use serious amounts of energy: 2 - 5 units (usually electricity) per cycle, more for commercial dryers.
- Line drying (or clothes horse or airing cupboard drying) is free and kinder to fabrics. Tumble drying literally wears out clothes and bedding (stripping fibres which end up in the filter).
- If you must tumble dry, spin first on the fastest setting you can and dry similar fabrics together. Don't overdry and take clothes/bedding out quickly to avoid creasing and reduce ironing.
3. Switch off irons and presses
If there is 15 minutes or more between uses, turn them off.
4. Use full loads
Fully load (but don't overload) your machines or, if you must run an interim load, use the half-load settings.
APPLIANCES
1. Turn off when not in use
Again, this sounds obvious, but so many appliances are left turned on even though the users have walked away. Get into the habit of turning things off when they aren't actively being used.
- Use a switched extension bar: where appropriate plug appliances that tend to be used together (eg TVs, set-top boxes, DVD recorders or computers, printers, speakers etc) into switched four or six socket extension bars. Then there is just one switch to hit to turn them all off!
- Turning your PC on and off during the day isn't practical - but turning your monitor off is, and can save a lot of energy.
- Printers and photocopiers power up quickly. Turn them off except when they are needed - don't just leave them on standby until they are.
- Encourage staff to turn off unneeded coffee machines, fans, desk-lights etc.
- Create a routine for an end of day turn off.
- Turn off vending machines overnight unless they are needed to keep the food safe - the mass of chilled food and drinks will stay cool until the morning. Especially if the heating is turned down or off overnight!
2. Avoid standby - on ALL appliances (including the microwave)
Appliances on standby can use an enormous 6 - 8% of your total energy usage - estimated by The Energy Saving Trust to be about £740 million of energy in total in the UK each year. Did you know:
- Mobile phone chargers (and other low voltage transformers) use almost the same amount when the phone is unplugged - turn them off at the plug!
- A photocopier left on standby overnight uses as much energy as making 5,300 A4 copies!!
- One PC monitor left on overnight uses as much energy as needed to laser print 800 A4 pages.
- A TV left on standby overnight uses as much energy as 4 hours of viewing time.
(All from the Energy Saving Trust)
3. Buy energy efficient appliances
(You may like to see the Green Case Study: Energy Efficient Appliances -West Longridge Cottages.)
All appliances have two costs:
- the purchase price
- the running costs
Many appliances last for years - so the running costs can really make a significant difference to the overall costs.
Do your research before you buy or replace an appliance. Check:
- the appliance has the energy saving recommended logo.
- the energy consumption, and compare appliances for the most efficient.
- you can turn the appliance off - not just onto standby.
- power saving features - eg dry sensors in tumble driers that switch the machine off when they sense the wash is dry.
- how the appliance compares to your existing product - for example, new plasma TVs consume 200 - 300w compared to 80 - 150w for an older CRT style TV or LCD style.
KITCHEN
1. Don't keep grills, ovens and toasters hot and ready to go
Keeping an oven, grill, toaster etc going unnecessarily wastes large amounts of energy. If there is more than 15 minutes between uses, turn it off. It is a myth that it costs more to heat it up than to keep it going.
2. Defrost fridges and freezers
- Frosted up appliances use more power - defrost regularly.
- Check the seals are properly fitted.
- Don't keep fridge or freezer doors open longer than necessary.
3. Use just enough water in a kettle
- Kettles are quite a high draw - electric ones, for example, use about 3kw.
- Boil only what you need and use it straight away - don't get distracted and have to reboil the kettle.
- Use small kettles in guest rooms.
4. Use the right size pans and lids
Use the right size pan for the hob 'ring' you're using and use a lid. Don't boil more water than you need in the pan.
5. Maximise oven use
Menu plan efficiently and try to co-ordinate your cooking so that you fill the oven and use it for the shortest length of time. Effective menu planning can cut food waste too.
HOUSEKEEPING
1. Turn guest and public room appliances (TVs, DVDs) etc off standby
Train housekeepers and cleaners to keep an eye out for appliances that are on unnecessarily or on standby. Mark the plugs of essential appliances that must not be switched off with a notice so they are confident about what can be turned off.
2. Turn off lights
Encourage housekeepers to turn off lights that aren't needed.
3. Don't leave hoovers or other cleaning equipment etc running unnecessarily
Encourage housekeeping and cleaning staff to be energy efficient themselves.
4. Carry buckets of water between rooms rather than running fresh hot water from the room taps
Rather than running fresh hot water in each guest room, for example, encourage cleaning staff to carry hot water in a bucket and only change it when needed.
Next step:
- See the Insulate your premises page to continue to cut energy usage and wastage
Quick Links
- Go to the Green Tourism Business Scheme website
- Use Business Link's environmental compliance tool
- Find business advice on the Envirowise website
- Find environmental regulations for tourism businesses on the NetRegs website
- Find out more about local food at the Local Food Works website
- Visit Northumbria Larder for regional food ideas
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