The Government’s energy efficiency campaign helps SME businesses across the UK to both better understand and reduce their energy usage - and in turn reduce their energy bills. The campaign (and website) promote a range of actions that businesses can take to increase their energy efficiency, from easy no or low-cost actions to longer-term investments.

Key energy saving actions

Here is a list of the key energy-saving actions being promoted as part of the campaign. 

Quick and easy, no-cost actions:

  • Turning off lights: turn off lighting in unoccupied areas and outside of working hours.
  • Adjusting your heating: set your heating to 19°C and cooling to 24°C or higher to ensure a comfortable but low-cost temperature on your premises.

Low-cost actions

  • Review your energy tariff: contact your energy supplier to understand their tariffs and compare with other providers before agreeing a contract.
  • Conduct an energy usage assessment: assess how your business currently uses energy and identify how savings can be made.
  • Install a smart meter: contact your energy supplier to arrange a smart meter installation, or ask your landlord to do so, to get accurate data about how your business uses energy.
  • Stop draughts and insulate doors and windows: block unwanted gaps around windows, doors and floors to stop heat escaping and reduce your energy bills.
  • Upgrade your lightbulbs: upgrade lighting to LED bulbs, which use very little energy and are long-lasting.
  • Ensure your boiler is properly maintained: well-maintained boilers are significantly more efficient to run.

Long-term investments

  • Replace your boiler with a heat pump with the help of a government grant: the Government is offering grants of up to £6,000 off the cost of a heat pump, which are significantly more efficient than traditional boilers.
  • Invest in energy efficient products: the Energy Technology List provides businesses with a regularly updated list of government-approved energy efficiency products to save your business energy and money.

Find out more and access a host of resources at the Government website here: www.gov.uk/business-energy-saving.