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Keeping Your Business’ Energy Usage Low

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Business Energy Usage|Keeping Your Business' Energy Usage LowThere are many reasons why you might want to keep your use of energy as low as possible in your business. For one thing, it is obviously a good time to be doing that right now, with the way things are with the planet, and you can say that you are doing your part while also being a more attractive brand in the eyes of people. But energy saving is also financially savvy, and your business’ books are going to be much better balanced as a result of these kinds of changes. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to keep your energy consumption down.

Strip Down Processes

Many businesses that have been in operation for a long while end up having far too many processes going on at one time. This can be a real nuisance, as it often means you are just going to be expending more energy than you need to – and you’ll probably be wasting time, money and other resources in the process. So an easy thing you can do to help with this is to strip down your processes until you are left only with what you really need. Do this once a year and watch as it changes everything about how you work.


Focus On Conservation

It’s generally best to put more of your efforts into conservation of energy rather than simply using less. There is a subtle difference, in that with conservation you are employing methods for holding on to energy rather than limiting yourself in any way. To achieve this, you might use a variety of techniques, from heat wheel reliability to building your office building with Passivhaus in mind. However you do it, conserving energy in this way is absolutely something you want to make sure you are doing right.

Take An Energy Audit

Every now and then, it is wise to submit your business to an energy audit, as this way you will be able to work out exactly what is going on, how much energy you are expending, and so on. You can start to see where the main problems might be and gain recommendations for improvement too, all of which will help you considerably if you are keen to improve your business with energy in mind. You can carry out the audit yourself, or for more reliable results hire an external auditor to do it for you.

Look At Supply

Sometimes all you really need to do to improve your energy usage is to take a look at the supply of it to your business. It might be that you are not with the best supplier, and often changing them out can make all the difference in the world, so that is something that you are going to want to consider for sure. This might be all you need to do, and as such it would be a particularly easy and simple approach to take in order to keep your business’ energy usage much lower.

Commercial Building Maintenance Tips

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Building Maintenance|Commercial Building Maintenance TipsOwning a commercial property is a hands-on job, and maintenance should be a top priority. Wear and tear is natural, but in order to generate a profit, there are some routine maintenance steps which you should carry out every year. Commercial building maintenance is generally pretty routine. This way, you can also avoid costly renovations which could hurt your profits.

Audit Your Energy Consumption

An energy audit of your commercial building is important to establish where you can lower your costs.

Energy costs are often one of the biggest overheads for commercial building owners, so doing an energy audit is a good way to determine what is eating up your budget.

An energy professional will carry out an inspection of your building and will determine where costs can be lowered, such as:

  • Swapping old lightbulbs for energy-saving alternatives
  • Repairing insulation around doors and windows
  • Replacing window glass
  • Replacing roof insulation and more

An energy audit will also allow you to determine whether your tenants are happy with and comfortable within your building.

Fix Your Fixtures

Another important part of commercial building maintenance of simple things, like the fixtures. You can use preventative maintenance software to help you keep track of what needs to be done and when.

Leaving damaged fixtures to sit will lead to more accidents and damage to the building. Damaged fixtures like broken lights, door handles, small windows, or damaged doors can make the building look shabby too.

Make sure you replace these fixtures when they need it to avoid a backlog of work and annoyed tenants.

Conduct A Monthly Safety Audit

Another major priority for your maintenance should be safety mechanisms and fixtures.

When it comes to an emergency, these safety fixtures need to be in full working order to avoid accidents and lawsuits.

Safety fixtures include things like emergency lighting systems, emergency exit signs, emergency doors, and fire detector systems.

Make sure you carry out a monthly audit of these safety mechanisms to make sure that they are all operating correctly.

Prioritize Remodeling

Remodeling can go a long way to keeping your property looking modern and well-kept. This is what your tenants pay you for too.

Keep your commercial property in the same condition as you would your home. If remodeling work is needed, get it done.

Replace ripped carpets, repaint chipped or peeling walls or ceilings, and refresh the building’s exterior with fresh paint at least once a year.

There are just some of the basic maintenance and remodeling requirements for any commercial building.

Stay On Top Of Pest Control

One of the worst issues to deal with when it comes to any commercial property is a pest infestation. This can cost you a lot of money in extermination, as well as having to temporarily remove tenants while you deal with the problem.

Keep in mind that even if your tenants haven’t complained about pests, this doesn’t mean there isn’t an issue. Stay on top of pest control by carrying out a pest audit with a professional at least once a year to keep pests at bay.

Eliminate Fire Hazards

One of the most devastating hazards which faces any property owner is the potential for a fire to break out. The only way to avoid a fire breaking out is to identify and eliminate all fire hazards throughout your property.

Do routine checks on smoke detectors throughout the building once a month. Replace the batteries once a year.

Make sure all fire exit doors are fully operational and passageways are kept clear. Make sure each floor of the building is equipped with fire extinguishers.

Keep Your Backup Generator Firing

Stagnant parts in a backup generator can spell disaster. As these parts remain motionless, air can get into the unit injector solenoid and render your generator useless. All emergency generators should be started for at least five minutes, once a week, in order to rev all the moving parts and keep things alive.

Transfer load testing should generally be done once a month, while a scheduled full load test should be carried out every year.

Prioritize Maintenance Of Facilities And Utilities

Staying on track with the full function of your building’s facilities is an essential part of keeping your tenants happy.

These facilities include things like elevators, escalators, public bathrooms, staff rooms, and HVAC units.

You should carry out a monthly inspection of the operation of all of these facilities to prevent accidents and maintain the high quality of your commercial property.

Top tips for reducing waste in the office

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Reducing waste in the office|Top tips for reducing waste in the officeReducing waste in the office is one challenge that companies are trying to tackle every day. After all, reducing waste helps businesses operate more effectively and improves efficiency. This, in turn, helps companies grow. This article outlines some top tips for reducing waste in the office.

Do an energy audit

This is one of the best ways for companies to reduce waste in the office. An energy audit enables companies to identify where they are wasting energy and how they can use green technology to save money. For example, an energy audit may reveal that a company is using too much paper and ink. This information can then be used to determine if a company needs to invest in a paperless printer.

Recycle effectively

Recycling should be a staple part of everyone’s life. This is also true for businesses. Companies need to ensure that they are recycling as much as possible, though this does require some investment. However, it will help companies save money in the long term and protect the environment even more so. For example, most businesses now recycle paper, which helps them save money on buying more paper.

There’s no doubt that recycling in your office will save you both time and money later down the line. Some of the most common items that companies recycle include cardboard, paper, and plastics.

Invest in green tech

Using technology effectively can help businesses both reduce waste and save money. For example, many companies use online tools to draft contracts. This means they don’t have stacks of paper lying around their office. Green tech is constantly growing, so it’s worth looking around for the latest apps or software that can help you reduce waste in the office.

Go paperless

As well as using technology to draft contracts, companies can also use it to replace paper. For instance, many businesses now send emails instead of letters because email is faster and more convenient. Replacing paper with technology means that your company will reduce waste and save money on expensive printing costs. It also reduces waste because it cuts down on paper usage.

Reuse supplies

Many companies now try to save as much money as possible by reusing supplies. For example, most companies will order the same supplies every month, so they don’t have to spend time researching them. This means that you can reuse paper cups, shopping bags, pens, and other items without reducing efficiency. It also helps you reduce waste because it encourages employees to pick up fewer new supplies when they are in meetings or out of the office.

Ink is another good example. Rather than buying a new printer cartridge every time it runs out, companies can refill their cartridges with ink. This significantly reduces waste and saves money.

Renegotiate your utilities

Renegotiating your utilities is another way that companies can reduce waste in the office. For example, some businesses now renegotiate their contracts with their energy suppliers to get a better rate and save money on bills. Businesses should consider renegotiating with all of their utility providers as this will help them cut costs and reduce waste.