Reducing carbon emissions, promoting ethical practices, and ensuring long-term sustainability are all crucial goals for businesses. Improving energy efficiency is a no-brainer when it comes to achieving these objectives and more. But what are the most effective and practical ways to save energy within your organisation? 

We asked Ali McKeand, Chief Technologist - Innovation at CAE Technology Services to outline the top five actionable energy-saving tips for businesses.

1. Embrace the concept of "off"

Automating the turning off when IT equipment is not in use is an easy habit to adopt. It may seem like a small step, but it can lead to significant energy savings for your business. Start by ensuring that computer monitors are turned off instead of being left on standby, and consider using timers for your lights. However, there are even bigger more impactful changes you can make. 

For instance, CAE Labs offers WiserWatts, an intelligent energy-saving solution that can potentially reduce your business's network energy usage by up to 60%. By simply turning off your network services when they are not needed, you can minimise power waste. Implementing this solution is a no-brainer and one of the easiest ways for businesses to save energy. 

2. Monitor your energy consumption

To make energy savings, it is essential to understand your energy usage. Invest in an energy monitoring solution that allows you to track energy consumption and identify any areas of power waste. Smart Power Controllers are an excellent tool for monitoring energy usage throughout the day and week. Take the time to analyse how energy is currently being utilised in your business, so you can identify potential areas for energy savings.

With WiserWatts, you also have access to an energy reporting dashboard that is user-friendly and provides instant insights into the amount of energy you have saved. This solution enables you to easily adjust your power usage policy and make changes whenever necessary

3. Regulate heating and cooling

Heating and cooling your workplace can consume a significant amount of energy. Therefore, it is crucial to take steps to ensure your buildings are well-insulated. If you rent your premises and lack control over factors like double glazing and insulation, there are still measures you can take to retain warmth and keep out the cold. For example, assess the layout of your workspace to determine if radiators are blocked by furniture. Additionally, conduct an audit to identify any empty or unused spaces, such as meeting rooms, that are unnecessarily heated.

By deploying affordable temperature and humidity sensors, you can monitor overcooling in IT Comms rooms or overheating in the workplace, thus enabling for valuable insights for smarter decisions.   

4. Embrace remote working

Enabling remote working can lead to substantial energy savings for your company. By transitioning to full-time or part-time remote work, supported by a robust IT infrastructure, you can downsize your premises and reduce the energy consumption required to maintain a larger space.

While remote employees will still need to utilise heat and electricity in their homes, overall energy savings can be achieved by eliminating the need for commuting to the workplace via driving or public transportation.

5. Foster a culture of sustainability

Improving business energy efficiency should not be a one-time effort. To make a significant impact, sustainability should be ingrained in your organisation's culture of energy conservation.

Your people play a crucial role in implementing energy-saving habits that can lead to substantial change. Invest in your workforce by providing training and support in energy-efficient practices.

Find out more

At CAE, we are dedicated to decarbonising IT for a more sustainable future. Learn more about WiserWatts, our intelligent and automated solution that offers instant energy savings of up to 60% for businesses. 

By following these practical and actionable energy-saving tips, your organisation can make a positive impact on the environment and achieve long-term sustainability.