James P Devellis – Saving Electricity For Your Small Business
My old boss James P Devellis taught me everything that I know about running a business and without him, I am not sure that I would’ve found the success that I have. James was kind enough to take me under us wing during 2 summer apprentices at his business and he had a certain way of teaching business knowledge that just stayed with me.
One of the most important things that I remember about that time was how important he said the details were, in every aspect of the business. The example he gave me then was about the electricity costs of running a business, something which many don’t consider. I am highly focused on this in my business and we have just gone through a major change in order to attack the rising costs of electricity on the business. Here is what we have done to make those changes, and these are tips which you could also use on your own small business.
Light Bulbs
No matter what type of small business you have it is more than likely that the lights are going to be the biggest consumer of electricity. The key to saving money on your lighting costs involves a little bit of change and most importantly some education. In terms of education, you have to make sure that your staff are aware of the importance of switching lights off when they are not in use. In terms of change, you must ensure you have LED bulbs in place, which save around $500 per year for every 50 bulbs, as well as installing a timer so that the lights go off after closing.
Desktop Computers
Desktop computers are likely to be a core part of how your business operates, and they are also going to contribute heavily to the amount of energy which the business is using. An easy fix here is to switch to laptops, they use significantly less energy, they are portable and they are just as capable as the desktops which you currently have in your office. Again you must ensure that the computers are switched off when not in use and that you make the most of pre-set power-saving features, which the computers have.
Air Conditioning
Air conditioning is a vital part of many businesses and the benefits of using an AC unit on the productivity of the staff is something which has been proven by science. Nonetheless, this is another aspect of your business which is going to be draining the electricity which is why you must ensure that you have a split unit. which can be zoned off in areas. which don’t require cool air. You must also make sure that you have a thermostat on the system so that it operates at the temperature which you want and at the times that you need, reducing use when it isn’t required. Finally, be sure that your system is regularly serviced so that it is completely efficient and not providing 50% of the power that you are actually paying for.
As James P Devellis would often tell me, the devil truly is in the details.
Boris Dzhingarov graduated UNWE with a major in marketing. He is the founder of ESBO ltd a brand mentioning company. He is also passionate about meditation and healthy living. You can find articles on such topics at his spiritual blog Dzhingarov.com.