Tips To Lowering Utility Costs Over The Summer

This blog is all about communicating effectively with your general contractor—before he or she starts work.

Tips To Lowering Utility Costs Over The Summer

9 October 2015
 Categories: , Blog


Managing a business requires making sure you keep your costs at a minimum and increase your profits. One of the costs that you will incur, and one that can get away from you quickly, is the utility bill. There are several factors that go into your utility bill, but your air conditioner will be one of the main ones during the summer. Here are a few tips in reducing your overall utility costs in the summer.

Take an Assessment

Before you look at more energy efficient air conditioners, or hire a company to come in and give you an energy audit, take an assessment of your company. You will want to look at what lights are left on all of the time, and if you have any lights that could be changed to motion sensitive or timers. In addition, look the temperatures that your building is set at. Something to ask yourself is whether you need to have the same temperature all day long, or if you can get away with adjusting the temperature to save money when employees are not around.

Have an Audit Done

You do not want to have a monetary audit run on your business, but you do want to have an energy audit company assess your business. They can help you determine if you are using energy efficiently, as well as help establish ideal practices. Some of the things they can help you change include learning when peak times are for utility companies and exterior temperatures. They will be able to help you trim extra energy expense; including learning which devices can be switched out for energy efficient models.

Turn it Off

When you are not in the building, you want to make sure that your equipment is turned off and your commercial air conditioner is not being taxed. This means turning the temperature up to a higher level, but you still need to make sure that your building stays cool enough to keep your equipment working properly. Some of the equipment that can be turned off includes vending machines, printers, microwaves, computers, and scanners. If you cannot turn the computers off, consider putting them into hibernation mode to conserve power.

Program When Possible

One of the easiest ways to keep your energy use at a minimum is using programmable thermostats and outlets. Programmable thermostats allow you to have specific times for the temperatures to be higher, as well as turning off air to areas of the building that are not in use. Programmable timers allow you to have power turned off to specific outlets so you will not have to worry about reminding employees to do it.

These are only a few tips in keeping your utility bill at a lower cost. There are many other ways to become energy efficient, including having skylights put in or having blinds open during the day.

About Me
Communicating With Your General Contractor

Nothing is more frustrating than deciding on a construction project, only to be bombarded by a long list of problems during the construction phase. Unfortunately, if you work with the wrong person, you might become pretty familiar with issues. About five years ago, I hired one of my neighbors to renovate my bathroom. Although the mere idea sounds ridiculous now, at the time it seemed like a natural solution to a real problem. Unfortunately, as soon as he got started, I knew that he didn't know what he was doing. This blog is all about communicating effectively with your general contractor—before he or she starts work.

Search