How Can Your Employees Help You Become More Energy Efficient?

WHY SHOULD YOUR BUSINESS BE BOTHERED ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY?

With the Government declaring a climate emergency, energy efficiency has never been more talked about. Businesses and individuals around the world are starting to take steps to help make the changes we need to save the health of the planet, including providing energy saving tips for employees.

As well as the environmental benefits we see from becoming more environmentally responsible, businesses could see a lot more benefits by making these small changes.

Reduced energy bills
Reducing your business energy consumption will significantly impact your energy bills and how much you spend on energy each month. According to the Carbon Trust, UK businesses could collectively save over £400 million a year just by taking steps to improve the efficiency of hot water boilers.

The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is a tax on every unit of energy we use, so not only will we be reducing our bills for the energy we consume, we will also reduce the amount we pay in VAT and CCL.
Even if you must spend money to implement energy efficient solutions, these are often inexpensive and actually pay for themselves in a short amount of time.

Enhanced CSR
Another benefit businesses see from becoming energy efficient, is the impact it has on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Individuals are now starting to take a company’s CSR into consideration when choosing who to purchase from. It doesn’t just have an impact on customers either. Employers who demonstrate good CSR (including environmental and sustainability issues) benefit from more motivated staff and are more attractive to potential employees.

WHY SHOULD YOU GET EMPLOYEES INVOLVED IN SAVING ENERGY?

It’s great to put energy efficient methods in place, but if you don’t have the people to regularly maintain them and implement the changes throughout the business, then you’re not going to see as much saving as you could, so providing energy saving tips for employees is vital.

Getting your employees on board is one of the simplest ways to implement energy efficient behaviour – they are the people in your business every day, so if they make small changes, they will help to create the bigger results. Once you get them on board, they can encourage people throughout the business, helping to create a healthier, more efficient working environment for all.

By offering advice and energy saving tips for employees on how to save energy in the workplace, it will also help them to implement these behaviours at home too. It will promote healthy well being in and out of the workplace, which will not only keep your employees happy, but it can also help attract more talent to your business during recruitment.

HOW TO GET YOUR EMPLOYEES INVOLVED IN ENERGY EFFICIENT BEHAVIOUR

1. Firstly, it is important that management teams are involved and on board. The behaviour and drive must come from above and be fed through the company, or it will be much harder to change employee behaviours from the start.
2. Think about what would motivate employees to save energy and change their current behaviours. What motivates people to be energy efficient at home could be very different to at work. For example, at home people are a lot more likely to think about the financial implications of energy saving, whereas at work they might be motivated by improved working conditions, company reputation or gaining recognition within the business. Take this into consideration when promoting these new behaviours.
3. Outline the benefits to the business and the employees. More energy efficient work places are often healthier and more motivated. Employees will be more productive; your business will have a reduced carbon footprint and an improved CSR, which could help generate more sales and improved profitability.
4. Be clear about the strategy, goals and how these changes will affect the business and employees. Set realistic targets and review and amend these as they are implemented. Draw up an energy policy so the whole company understands the goals, and inform all new employees when they start so that it’s embedded in them from the start.
5. Remind and promote energy efficient behaviour throughout the workplace. Create posters to stick up around the building; put stickers on light switches reminding people to switch them off. Send emails to all employees with new tips and incentives for the week/month. You can also use reminders in newsletters and across the intranet.
6. Allow your employees to wear clothing appropriate to the time of year and weather. By doing so there will be less need for heating/air conditioning inside, and you will be able to embrace the natural temperature while employees are still comfortable in the workplace.
7. Celebrate the successes throughout the business and promote energy efficient behaviour. Run competitions and set rewards for employees who participate or win. Prizes or rewards could be given for the most energy efficient team; this could be the most improved or the team who has used the least electricity/water, etc.
8. Transport is a big contributor to CO2 emissions, so promote changes to employees’ travel between work and home. For businesses with company fleets, consider switching to Electric Vehicles, to help contribute to a greener and cleaner drive. Alternatively, install EV charge points in your business so that your employees can make the most of EVs. For those who don’t drive, you can promote Cycle to Work days, Catch the Bus weeks or encourage car sharing between employees to reduce their carbon emissions.

For more information on our Energy Management Solutions, speak to a member of our team on 0115 975 8258 or email energysolutions@yuenergy.co.uk