In the current context of escalating energy prices, and state requirements in terms of energy renovation, particularly via ELAN law and the tertiary decree in force, it becomes crucial for companies to adopt strategies aimed at reducing their energy costs. Various methods can significantly help reduce business energy costs. Let's discover them together.
Energy saving in business: on the part of employees
Raise employee awareness
As a company, it is important to engage all employees in energy efficiency initiatives. Here's how you can encourage this active participation:
- Clarify how savings made could be reinvested to improve the working environment.
- Communicate monthly on the energy savings achieved, by sharing consumption data with employees.
- Organize promotional events, either internally or with the help of partners, to educate interactively on eco-friendly actions and sustainable alternatives.
The actions they must adopt
In office environments, particularly in the tertiary sector, lighting and electronic devices are large consumers of energy. However, simple daily actions can contribute to significant savings:
- Turn off computers and monitors each evening and, if possible, unplug devices. A device in sleep mode continues to consume a notable fraction of its active energy.
- Use artificial lighting only if necessary, turn it off after work, and maximize the use of daylight. Maintain light sources regularly to maintain their effectiveness.
- Reduce screen brightness to a comfortable level.
- Optimize printing: print only what is necessary, reuse paper as draft, favor double-sided printing, and choose an economical format that reduces paper consumption.
- Promote group printing and the dematerialization of documents. Ensure the final version of a document before printing to avoid reprinting.
- Minimize large attachments in emails, limit recipients, and clean your inbox regularly.
- Keep doors closed to minimize heat loss.
During periods of intense heat:
- Maintain a temperature difference not exceeding 4°C between inside and outside.
- Use air conditioning only when the indoor temperature exceeds 26°C.
- Ventilate the premises when it is cooler and lower the blinds during the hottest hours of the day to keep things cool.
Energy saving in business: company actions
The energy audit
It is essential to start with a thorough examination of your energy consumption. Such an energy audit reveals the energy performance of buildings and where savings can be made, marking the starting point towards optimized energy performance.
It is used to question the regularity of one’s energy consumption:
- Is it affected by the seasons?
- Do production devices and processes consume excessively, and if so, at what times?
- Are the levels of heating in winter and air conditioning in summer in line with the recommended standards?
Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting systems are often the main consumers of energy. Improving the efficiency of these systems can be done by optimizing equipment and encouraging employees to adopt more energy-efficient practices.
| Good to know It is also possible to call on the commissioning in order to verify whether the building meets the needs of users, managers and owners in terms of energy efficiency, comfort, security and respect for the environment. |
Energy renovation
After this audit, it will surely be necessary to consider improvements or renovations to boost the energy performance of the infrastructures. Optimal insulation is key to minimizing thermal losses. According to the Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe), energy leaks are often due to inadequate insulation, whether in the roof (25 to 30%), walls (20 to 25%), or openings such as windows (10 to 15%).
In addition, it is possible to meet part of the energy needs through on-site energy production. Work to install systems such as photovoltaic solar panels or heat pumps can reduce energy costs while reducing the company's carbon footprint. And this, thanks to the exploitation of renewable energies which offer a clean alternative to energy production. These installations also promote greater energy autonomy for the latter.
The CEE: aid for energy renovation
Just like individuals, businesses can access subsidies and programs intended to finance renovations and promote energy saving.
The energy saving certificates (CEE) are a form of financial support for sustainability and energy efficiency improvement initiatives. This is an initiative supported by the French State to encourage companies to undertake renovations that increase energy efficiency. EECs cover a wide range of interventions, from replacing traditional lighting with more efficient options to more complex projects such as improving the thermal insulation of structures.
In addition, specific regional grants for energy renovation are available to businesses, and can often be combined with other national grants, providing a significant opportunity for businesses.
Actions to put in place
Heating
To optimize energy consumption and thermal comfort, installing thermometers in different work areas proves to be an effective strategy. This makes it possible to precisely regulate heating or air conditioning, adapting the temperature to the real needs of the spaces.
The ideal temperature is 19°C for occupied areas and can be reduced to 16°C in empty rooms, or even to 8°C if the space remains unoccupied for a prolonged period of two days or more, thus avoiding the risk of overheating for employees.
To reduce energy costs, it is practical and economical to turn off the heating after working hours. Furthermore, investing in equipment that limits energy consumption, such as double glazing and efficient insulation, can be accompanied by state financial aid.
Finally,When the temperature increases, the use of a fan instead of an air conditioner is recommended for its lower energy consumption. Periodic maintenance of heating systems is also essential to prevent heat loss and ensure efficient energy distribution.
Lighting
Adopting motion sensors to manage lighting is a smart method to minimize energy consumption in low-traffic areas. This ensures that the light is only turned on when necessary. If these sensors are not available, you should get into the habit of manually turning off the lights when the space is not occupied.
Furthermore, for exterior lighting, especially for advertising signs, nighttime use should be reduced by turning them off after 1 a.m., in accordance with current regulations.
In interior spaces, the adoption of LED bulbs, or failing that class A bulbs such as compact fluorescents, contributes to a substantial reduction in consumption.
For installations using halogen spotlights, switching to LED or metal halide lamps is a wise choice to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
Electrical appliances
For catering areas within businesses, opting for microwaves instead of standard ovens can lead to a significant reduction in energy consumption.
At the same time, adjusting computer sleep settings so that they wake up after less than five minutes of inactivity can also halve the power consumption of these devices.
It is also important to optimize computer servers. To do this, replacing desktop computers with portable models, which tend to consume less energy, and favoring the acquisition of eco-designed equipment is desirable. Finally, using power strips with switches is a simple solution to eliminate phantom power consumption from electronic devices, even when they are turned off.
