An Important Step Towards Sustainability With The Proper Management Of Business Electricity

One of the most discussed and debated issues in today’s world is ecology and the importance of conserving it. The cause behind the deterioration of the environment most often points to the materialistic tendency and greed of human society. But will the world be a better place if we can cut short our greed and material desires? In the fast-paced world that thrives on material goods, is it even possible to curb our needs?

If we look around, one could see that all the human activities directly or indirectly affect our ecosystem in one way or the other. Instead of using nature for our necessities, we are manipulating it. Our materialistic consumption and needs have crossed the limits and are on verge of insanity.

What is the best solution to heel the urgent cry of our environment? Our fast-growing economies and our never-ending needs oblige a huge amount of energy use. In the current scenario, disavowing our material consumption alone will not help us to secure our future and renew the damages made to our ecosystem. More efficient use of material sources along with following the doctrine of sustainable development takes the centre stage in today’s time.

The sustainable model of living aims at the preservation of the environment alongside balancing our growing economy and development. It is intertwined with material efficiency that calls for the revision of various technological strategies, business models, and consumer needs. Since we are living in a corporate era, where various multinational corporate giants account for a large portion of the world’s economy, the doctrine of sustainability cannot be limited to the protection of the environment.

What does sustainability in business mean?

We are living in a business-driven world. Hence, it is the call of the hour to integrate sustainability into business. So, what exactly is meant by sustainability in business? Sustainable business looks into the effect business has on the environment and its effect on society. It makes sure to operate a business without negatively impacting the environment. It is an approach that takes into consideration how the business will work in an ecological and social setup.

Sustainable business strategies include using sustainable materials for manufacturing their products, giving emphasis on using green-certified office products, cutting emissions, optimizing the supply chain to reduce the emission of greenhouses, and expanding the energy efficiency of your business.

An important step towards sustainability with the proper management of business electricity

Ways to make Business more Energy Efficient

One of the key factors while employing a sustainable development business strategy is to consider energy-efficient business plans. Introducing efficient use of energy can reduce wastage, save the planet by reducing pollution. It saves money as it is a crucial factor in reducing costs.

1. Hiring Environmentally Sustainable Manager

One way to improve the sustainability of your business is by hiring an Environmentally Sustainable manager. The individual can monitor the energy efficiency of the organization and check whether the company is environmentally friendly.

2. Auditing

Conducting an audit to understand the energy consumption of your business will help to understand where the electricity is being used. It will help you to see where the energy is being wasted and help you to understand where your money is being spent.

3. Selecting A Good Supplier

Comparing business electricity prices and selecting a good supplier will in turn help in reducing the business electricity expenses. Websites like businessenergyuk.com will help you to understand everything about business electricity and will help to reduce the electricity bill effectively.

4. Upgrading Technology

Upgrading technology is also an effective method to save energy. For instance, replacing incandescent lights with LED lighting and CFL light bulbs can save energy. Installing movement detectors, daylight sensors that atomically switch off will also help in reducing electricity wastage. Installing sensor lights in bathrooms can help to reduce energy consumption. These bulbs reduce the unnecessary wastage of energy. Also because of their low consumption, it will help to cut short the money.

5. Managing Heater/Cooler

One of the most used appliances in any place will be heaters and coolers. To keep the employees and customers comfortable, we use heaters and air conditioners. All these appliances have huge electricity consumption. In most companies, these appliances account for 40 percent of their electricity bills.

Thus, it is very important to manage the use of heaters and coolers. If not managed properly, they can consume a lot of energy. It will also lead to wastage of money. Setting a fixed temperature for the office can help in reducing the energy wastage by a heater or a cooler.

While going for a new cooler, try to buy the appliance with the highest star rating. This will help to increase the energy efficiency of your appliance and thus help in reducing energy use. Try to replace the high energy-consuming appliance with highly efficient and low energy-consuming alternatives will also help you to reduce your bill.

6. Spreading awareness amongst the employees

One most important point is to spread awareness among the employees about the relevance of sustainability. Taking small steps like switching off the equipment in the office, including computers, air conditioners, and more while not using it will help to reduce the unnecessary wastage of energy.

Unplugging devices while not using, making sure that your computer is into a low power sleeping mode will also help to reduce energy consumption.

Replacing a laptop with a desktop will also help to reduce energy consumption as laptops are more efficient than desktop computers.

7. Installation of renewable energy sources

Installation of renewable energy sources

Installing renewable energy sources such as solar panels is an effective way to save energy. By using these, you will be able to cut the quantity of electricity produced using unsustainable methods. This kind of energy source has low maintenance and will help in reducing the electricity bills.

By taking such small measures, you will be able to make use of the energy efficiency and can make your business sustainable.

Relevance of Sustainability in Business

Sustainability indeed is one of the most important solutions for global challenges like climate change, emission of greenhouse gases, and other environmental problems. But it is also relevant and very effective for business.

Recently many investors tend to use environmental, social, and governance (ECG) metrics as a parameter to evaluate the company’s ethics. Investors look into a company’s carbon footprint, water usage, and energy consumption to evaluate the organization’s values, and goals. It has also become a marker of reputation. Thus, it attracts savvy investors and new customers to the business. It makes the company more competitive.

Eco-friendly technologies will also help to reduce the wastage of energy. This will help to reduce electricity bills and increase savings.

As we have discussed, sustainability has become one of the topics of discussion in our day-to-day life. The current environmental issues have made sustainable living a very relevant factor in deciding our future. Since business and technology have become a part of our lifestyle, it has indeed become the need of the hour to practice sustainability in business. It will not only benefit ecology but will in turn increase the productivity of the business. Thus, a sustainable business can provide a balance between our growing demands and urgent the need to protect the ecosystem.

Francis Nwokike

Francis Nwokike is the Founder and Chief Editor of The Total Entrepreneurs. A Social Entrepreneur and experienced Disaster Manager. He loves researching and discussing business trends and providing startups with valuable insights into running a profitable business. He created TTE to share ideas and tips to help entrepreneurs run and grow their businesses.