"Quick wins" are rising regarding Small and Medium Enterprises increasing their energy efficiency and office sustainability.
Small and medium enterprises are keener than ever to increase their sustainability and, in turn, decrease their office outgoings.
Look around any office space, and you will see lights, printers and radiators. And, with 83% of small and medium enterprises saying that over the past year, sustainability has become more of a priority to them, ways to manage these office essentials have become of interest to SMEs across the UK.
"Most larger companies now have a sustainability manager, and a lot of decisions being made now are about how that will affect the business – that's even being filtered down to small, medium-sized businesses," says David Adams, sales manager at United Business Group. The Group are pushing the sales of Epson’s new printers which use less energy and heat, meeting company’s sustainability and expenditure goals.
Combining the government's plans for the UK to become net zero by 2050 with increasing energy and corporation tax rates, SMEs have been focusing on becoming more energy efficient and sustainable in their workplaces.
And, with research from ING showing that cost reduction is a big motivator for SMEs to become more sustainable, these companies have been looking at more minor ways they can tick both boxes. Adams says that since the energy crisis, "there has been an increase in people looking for different ways to save money," whether via printing or lighting.
"The country has its plan to go net zero by 2050, so it's one of those things where you want to start making changes early," says Ryan Tribe, Office Manager at Fire Design Solutions (FDS), a smoke ventilation company in Greenhithe, Kent.
Currently, FDS are 95% of the way there in replacing their energy-guzzling fluorescent bulbs with efficient LED ones. Tribe says: "We want to start as soon as we can to make little changes…so almost quick wins in a way."
Whilst considering the reason to make adaptations, Tribe says they look at both the money they will be saving and their sustainability goals. "We've got to look at ways we can save money, but we are also ISO 14001 accredited, which is an environmental standard. So, from that aspect of the business, it's evidence that we're doing everything we can."
ISO 14001 is an agreed standard that operates internationally and guides organisations through reducing their waste and pollution and helping them to build an environmental management system. These factors can determine how a company interacts with the environment—for example, reducing their emissions or noise pollution.
As a workforce with a fleet of vans and company cars, Fire Design Solutions are also improving their sustainability outside of the office. "Last year, we had four car chargers installed to help cut down on fuel costs,” says Tribe. He also adds that the vehicles they buy now are either hybrid or fully electric which helps them meet their ISO 14001 goals.
As Tribe mentions, the small changes to things such as lighting and vehicle types are both ways SMEs can improve their energy efficiency and sustainability. Following their switch to LED bulbs, Tribe states they also plan to install light sensors and run their heating system more efficiently. He admits that their heating system is currently not very efficient as it is switched on “whether we're in the office or not".
To monitor energy use and control a building's heating, lighting and air-conditioning, Business Energy Management Systems (BEMS) can be used by businesses. According to BusinessWire, the market size of Energy Management Systems in the US is expected to reach 111.86 billion by 2030 as companies try and increase their sustainable energy efficiency.
Finley Huckfield, an engineer at Kendra Energy Solutions, says: "The workload is huge," when it comes to how many businesses are currently having BEMS installed. He says that since Covid, there has been considerable growth in companies using BEMs to monitor their energy usage – especially regarding ventilation. To initiate this process, an engineer will come into an SMEs workspace and audit the energy usage of specific systems and appliances – suggesting what can be improved. Huckfield says: "All the customers have turned round to me and asked, "How can you save us money on energy?" In fact, in the recent Powering Up Britain Strategy introduced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, an energy audit and grant scheme for SMEs was introduced to help companies like Fire Design Solutions.
Huckfield says: "People are now understanding the work when no one understood what the work was before," which means SMEs, like FDS, are becoming more inclined to reach out to BEMS installers for help.
"I'm going to look into some thermostat or heating control which gives a bit more control over setting a routine of Monday to Friday. It might not make huge amounts of difference, but it could add up," says Tribe.
On top of office essentials such as lighting and heating, the use of the office printer can make a massive dent in SMEs' energy usage. Shockingly, a commercial laser printer can use up to 1000 watts an hour, according to Utility Bidder, a utility tariff comparison site.
Adams says that since the pandemic and now with Jeremy Hunt's budget, "smaller businesses are really feeling the pinch”. He adds, "If we if can provide a solution which ultimately provides a saving on the amount of electricity they are using, it's a small, quick win."
The printers that Epson are now producing can reduce energy consumption of office printers by 85-90%. This complies with many SMEs Corporate Social Responsibility goals making it an appealing option for both cost reduction and sustainability.
However, account manager at United Business Group, Simon Vine says: "Having spoken to a lot of people in and around sustainability, it is still about pounds shilling and pence." He says that SME financial directors are still driven by their "excel sheets" over what could increase their sustainability.
Although Tribe admits that he looks at costs first, he mentions that FDS’s managing director is willing to invest in changes to make their office a “better place, both in terms of sustainability and cost effectiveness.
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