Caps Versus Usage Cuts: How to Make the Most of Energy Saving as a Farm, Factory or Hotel
The government is offering extra help to businesses in the way of a 6 month energy price cap, but rising costs are a contuing concern. With the promise of a 6 month ‘cliff edge’ which will leave millions struggling, energy efficiency still has an important role in play in surviving the ongoing crisis. Here’s how to grow efficiency in your business.
In September of this year, the UK government announced measures to protect businesses from rising energy prices. The scheme works to reduce the wholesale and business rate for energy, acting as a non-domestic alternative to the Energy Price Guarantee (a package to help British homes with a 6 month maximum price guarantee).
Whilst this offering comes as a welcome relief to many, some have also argued that it leaves businesses with a “cliff edge” at the end of the 6 month period, where costs will suddenly rise and create mass closures. As part of the scheme, the government offers extra support for ‘vulnerable businesses’. However, the press have also been quick to highlight the lack of clarity surrounding this term and its practical requirements.
With all of this in mind, it's safe to say that even with additional government support, energy prices remain a significant concern for millions of companies. As such, good energy saving practices remain as important as ever. But what exactly are good energy saving practices, and how can your business make the best possible savings at this worrying time?
Energy Saving Tips for Business
Even with the best energy rates possible and extra support packages, the key to saving relies upon reducing your consumption by way of more efficient equipment, operational changes and improved maintenance.
Energy Saving Is a Process
The steps of this processvary depending on the type of business you run and what saving opportunities are available to you. However, as a rule of thumb, you will see the most benefits by following this process:
Complete an initial fact find. This involves gaining energy data and doing site visits in your business. Utilise where you are using energy and make use of any metering data available.
Gain more granular data through an energy monitoring trial in one or a few locations.
Evaluate the trial data to decide on measures such as replacing machinery, changing processes, setting up automations. Make those changes in one location.
Measure the effectiveness of these changes using the data, then roll out the most cost effective changes on a wider scale.
Sector-Specific Advice
i) How Can I Save Energy on a Farm?
Depending on what type of farm you run, there are plenty of options for saving energy.
Cold stores for fruit and vegetables consume a lot of energy. Pack your stores efficiently and at the optimum time of day. You will be able to see what yields the best results for you through monitoring. One GridDuck client, Priors Grove, did just this and saved 45% on their overall energy spend this way.
If you have on-site accommodation, you can also remind employees to switch off heaters. Better still, implement automated time switches for these appliances. You can install automatic shutdown sockets, LED lighting and a vacuum pump if you are a dairy farmer.
It also helps to properly maintain the equipment you have: clean air vents, fans and lighting regularly, insulate your pipes and ensure cold room doors shut properly. Depending on the size and logistics of your particular site, you may also benefit from on-site renewable energy generation. This can be costly at first but will allow you to save on energy in the long run.
To access more specialised advice for farms, download our Ultimate Energy Saving Checklist.
ii) How Can I Save Energy in a Hotel and/or Restaurant?
There are many areas of energy consumption in a hospitality business, which vary depending upon the size of your organisation.
For example, Heating and Air Con are a big energy draw. Switching off heating and air conditioning in unused areas, such as bars or lobbies overnight, as well as automating hotel room utilities using sensors to detect room occupancy are surefire ways to cut energy waste.
Pools and saunas may also be areas of energy waste, and could also benefit from automation to cut consumption outside of usage hours. Alternatively, you could reduce the opening hours of these facilities.
Restaurants may benefit from optimising food cooking and preparation methods, for example to batch cook items thereby reducing oven usage. Reminding staff to use cold water wherever possible in the kitchen and switch off any drinks fridges or ice machines outside of hours can help you make further savings. For more specialised advice, download our full hospitality energy saving checklist.
iii) How Can I Save Energy in a Factory?
Energy saving opportunities vary considerably depending on the scale and area of manufacturing. However, in every instance, you want to start by using data to identify saving opportunities. Make the biggest changes first; shifting behaviour costs nothing and will allow you to benefit from the largest savings instantly.
After this, there will be many other things you can do that cost very little. Such tasks include: Insulate pipes to keep hot or cold fluids at their temperature; clean air ducts, fans and filters (this can improve efficiency by up to 60%); upgrade motors to more energy efficient models (or equip them with variable speed drives); reuse or sell heat; use efficient compressors and boilers, and regularly check for leaks. To learn more about energy saving in manufacturing, visit gridduck.com/sectors/manufacturing.
If you would like to learn more about energy monitoring or have concerns about your energy usage, GridDuck can help. For a free, 15 minute consultation, please book yourself a meeting using Calendly.