HOW YOU, YOUR BUSINESS OR YOUR SCHOOL CAN COMBAT THE CONTINUED RISE IN ENERGY COSTS

The energy price cap has risen by 54% this year and businesses and schools, as well as households, are under pressure to afford the rise in gas, electric and oil bills.?

Unfortunately, costs are expected to keep increasing due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the knock-on effect for gas supplied by Russia.?

One school I spoke to recently had been told their energy bill was going to more than double in cost. They currently pay around 14p per KWh but in the next contract, it could increase to 35p.

On average, secondary schools spend around ￡41 per pupil on energy and ￡7.41 on water per square metre of floor space. A school of 981 pupils (average UK size) will therefore pay around ￡47,912 a year. With the majority of schools already struggling financially, imagine if that cost doubled or even tripled...?

The same applies to businesses and office blocks, which have large spaces to light and heat, as well as households that have recently had their predicted bills increase by over 300%, in some cases.

While changing your payment plan, tariffs and giving regular meter readings can hopefully provide a truer reflection of your expected outgoings, these scenarios give us an indication of the uphill battle many of us face professionally and personally.

Energy cutbacks won’t solve everything but will help reduce costs.

Technology can also play an important part in reducing our consumption and behavioural change programmes, like those we offer at Using Less Stuff, can reap savings in the long run.?

Our ‘Light as a Service’ technology can give you an 80% saving on your existing energy consumption on lighting. This is an intelligent and efficient lighting system, and we don’t charge any upfront costs – it is paid from the savings you make with positive monthly cash flow from month one. You can track your energy usage with automated metering which shows how schools and businesses will be left with lower monthly spending on energy bills.?

Our behaviour change programme can also change the mindsets of employees, stakeholders and pupils, which takes you through the steps in order to make institutional changes and save energy – and money – in the long run.?

Solar energy, which was once seen as an expensive option, is now more viable and affordable than ever and offers an effective and low maintenance option towards generating greener energy. For every kWh of energy the panels generate, that’s one kWh less you’ll need to purchase from a supplier.

Some other quick wins for businesses or schools in the meantime, include:?

●?????Adding aerators to taps - this reduces the amount of water coming out at once.?

●?????If you are lucky enough to have a dishwasher on your office floor, the same applies as at home - only run it when it’s full.?

●?????Turning off lights is also another sure-fire way to keep down energy bill costs, especially across large office buildings. The one to look out for is in unused meeting rooms - lights can be left on for days if they aren’t noticed.??