How smart tech can reduce business energy costs

A study by Schneider Electric found that over a quarter of the yearly energy produced in the UK is wasted. And with energy bills rising rapidly, this is waste businesses cannot afford.

Furthermore, an International Energy Agency (IEA) report states that around 82% of savings businesses and buildings could make with smart tech isn’t being utilised.

How smart tech can help reduce energy costs for your business

Smart tech can help you reduce your energy costs at a time when prices are going up more than down. With that in mind, here are a few examples of tech you could implement to reduce energy waste and make savings:

Smart meters

Smart meters are actually one of the most common tools for controlling energy use, allowing you to see how much energy you’re using and how much it costs for you to run appliances in your building. This can help you to start switching off lights and devices that are barely used.

And because the data is updated every 30-minutes, you only pay for the energy you use rather than an estimate.

Smart HVAC

IoT solutions for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) lead to greater efficiency and lower heating/cooling bills.

Sensors can monitor occupancy in different building zones, detect problems and potential problems, and automatically adjust HVAC usage.

By moving away from one-size-fits-all heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, you can improve occupant comfort, for example, there’s no reason why an office that receives afternoon sunlight should have the same level of air conditioning throughout the day.

Oh, and they also help to improve well-being, increase productivity and reduce carbon emissions, which is great for your net-zero targets.

Smart lighting and controls

Energy-efficient lighting is more commonplace but more traditional lighting is still widely used, although extremely inefficient, with only 5% of its energy transferring into light. Some facts:

• A 50W halogen spotlight can be replaced by a 5W LED – that’s 90% less energy use resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions too!
• Less heat energy produced. This not only makes LED much more efficient than say a halogen, but also means it is never going to generate heat which might need air con to cool the space!
• The longer lifespan of LED bulbs means less bulbs need to be produced

Daylight harvesting uses lighting control systems to enable dimming when full artificial light isn’t necessary. Sensors can also selectively dim or turn off lights near windows if they sense that outdoor light levels are high.

Smart windows

Traditional windows are inefficient, and can lose you up to 30% in heat.

Smart windows are energy-efficient windows that not only monitor outside temperatures and tint on a sunny day. They can also be programmed to block heat and allow more sun into your building, if desired.

You pretty much have full control.

Tankless water heaters

Tankless or instant water heaters can save you up to 34% on energy bills. You can control them via a smartphone app, and you’re also notified if there is a leak, so you can shut them down and avoid flooding or water damage if their building is empty.

Want to save your business even more money?

Then why not look into Inteb Renewables?

At Inteb, our experienced consultants and sustainability experts can guide you on the best renewable energy options for your business to help you maximise returns and reduce your carbon footprint.

Not only that, but we also have the technical expertise and experience to balance your commercial goals with the physical realities of what is achievable within your organisation.

Ready to reduce your energy costs?

Let’s get the conversation started – call us now on 0151 601 3476