This month the UK government launched proposals for large businesses which enables them to save on high energy bills. Similarly the government’s new Energy Bill is also about to revolutionise the power and energy markets. Regardless of country or governmental policies, businesses with an eye on a sustainable future can generate real commitment to being smart with technologies and to also reducing energy bills. Here are four sustainable and technology switches which can be actioned without overhauling the corporate sustainability charter:
1. PCs and Laptops - A laptop consumes about 50 per cent less electricity than a standard PC. 70-80% of the electricity use in a laptop is the CPU. A laptop consumes 20-50 watts of electricity which can be reduced again when it is on energy saving duty. The desktop version of the PC has numerous other components, and eats up 120 to 200 Watts and will likely require an continuous source of electricity.
3. Energy Saving Light Bulbs - The most common light bulb - a 60 watt - lasts up to 1,000 hours. A modern energy saving LED one will go on for up to 50,000 hours, meaning practically a business lifetime of savings for making this simple yet effective switch. A business can take it one step further and invest in savings in smart ceiling lighting which will bring down energy even further.
3. Mobile Device Chargers - Chargers eat electricity. There is now an EC IPP accredited mobile device charging rating which allows people to know which phone chargers they are using in order to save money and the planet. The 1-5 star rating relates to chargers which are sold by Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and LG Electronics. By choosing the right business telecom equipment it also enables reduced levels of electricity use for landline and mobile communications, and a better overall communications delivery strategy with bigger savings.
4. Sustainable utility packages - There are now a variety of ways in which to lower overall utility bills. For instance, the UK government has scheme which offers businesses the change to take advantage of solar power panels which can help to decrease bills to near zero.