Understanding the average energy consumption of a small business is essential for effective budgeting and forecasting energy costs. By knowing these figures, small businesses can better manage their energy costs. While energy usage can vary based on the size and type of business, our latest blog delves into the specifics of energy consumption for small businesses, including electricity and gas usage. What is Considered a Small Business? In the UK, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are defined as businesses with fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover of less than £50 million. Specifically, a small business has fewer than 50 employees and a turnover of under £10 million, while a micro business employs fewer than 10 people and has a turnover of less than £2 million. On average, small businesses in the UK consume between 15,000 kWh and 30,000 kWh of gas annually, and between 15,000 kWh and 25,000 kWh of electricity annually.   Industry Variations in Energy Consumption The amount of energy consumed can significantly differ by industry. For example, businesses in manufacturing typically use more energy compared to those in other sectors. High energy-consuming industries also include construction and agriculture. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicates that the service sector—encompassing small businesses like retail stores and restaurants—experienced a 6% decrease in energy consumption from 2019 to 2020. This shift may reflect a growing awareness of zero-carbon energy and the environmental impact of fossil fuels. Many service-based small businesses have adopted measures to lower their energy usage, contributing to reduced annual consumption.   How to Monitor Your Business Energy Consumption If you’re concerned that your business energy usage exceeds the average for your sector, it may be time to consider installing a smart meter. Smart meters aren’t just for domestic homes! A smart meter allows you to monitor your energy usage effectively. It provides real-time data, enabling you to manage your consumption more efficiently. Additionally, all readings are automatically sent to your business energy supplier, eliminating the need for manual meter readings. This ensures more accurate billing and helps avoid overestimations. If you’re interested in learning more about smart meters, don’t hesitate to contact our team!   What to Do If Your Business Energy Consumption is Too High If you have a smart meter installed and notice that your energy consumption is higher than expected, consider the following tips to reduce usage: Inspect Your Equipment: Evaluate your business equipment and upgrade to more cost-effective equipment if necessary. Power Down: Turn off electrical equipment when not in use, including lighting and heating, which can significantly impact your energy bills. Regulate Temperature: Set a comfortable temperature on your thermostat and maintain it consistently. Promote Energy Awareness: Foster an energy-saving culture among your employees.    For other great tips on lowering your small business energy consumption, check out our blogs! Contact our friendly team for a quick quote to lower your business energy bills.

Integrating sustainable strategies into your business is something companies across the UK are placing greater emphasis on in recent years. The emphasis on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives is more pronounced than ever. For businesses, understanding the nexus of ESG and energy is vital for a variety of reasons. These include building trust amongst stakeholders and consumers, and the environmental benefits. In this blog post, we will be delving into the world of ESG and energy, by discussing ways your business can integrate sustainability and become more energy efficient in the process.   Understanding ESG ESG is a set of standards that measure your business’ impact on society and the planet. Below we will break down the three central components of ESG. Environmental – this refers to all factors that may have an impact on the environment. Most notably, energy use, waste, and pollution. Your EPC rating will be taken into account here. Social – This is where your company’s social impact will come into play. How you treat your employees and how you contribute to local communities will be taken into account when evaluating your business under ESG criteria. Governance – This refers to how a company is run, factors like the transparency of a company and how the business holds accountability are considered under governance.   Why ESG is important for businesses ESG principles have become fundamental criteria for assessing a business’ sustainability and overall success. ESG is not just about complying with regulations, businesses that have good ESG practices gain a competitive edge too. Due to consumer demand for transparency and socially conscious investors, ESG has become vital for companies across the UK. ESG can effectively enhance a company’s reputation, and increase the appeal for potential investors. Another reason highlighting the importance of ESG is that it can help identify opportunities for growth and innovation within a company. For example, having the tools to measure your companies energy performance can help your company become more sustainable with energy usage, which could boost your EPC rating.   How to integrate sustainability practices into your strategy The first step in making a sustainable change by integrating ESG into your strategy is by understanding where your company currently is with energy consumption. Conducting an energy audit will help you identify areas for improvement and where your company can improve efficiency and sustainability. An energy audit involves analysing energy usage, assessing equipment and evaluating operational practices. If you’re looking into integrating sustainable strategies into your business, why not start by exploring our 100% UK Wind Power? Please contact our team to learn more.

In the current UK business landscape, becoming sustainable is increasingly important. For many business owners, measuring energy performance is crucial for enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and meeting regulatory requirements. In this blog post, we will be discussing how to measure energy performance by breaking down the key metrics and indicators, so you have a clearer understanding of your business’ energy performance.   The importance of energy performance Before we delve into the key metrics, it’s important to understand how energy performance affects a business and how it is measured. Energy performance is simply a measure of how efficiently businesses use energy in the workplace. Your business building is measured on energy performance through an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating.   Understanding EPC ratings An EPC rating is a key measurement used to measure a business’ energy performance. EPC ratings are graded between A- G on overall performance. Grade A means your premise is very energy efficient, and a G rating indicates your premise is less efficient. An accredited energy assessor can provide you with your EPC rating. Having a higher rating is important as it reflects on your businesses sustainability image, and it can extend the building’s lifespan, boosting its value. If your workplace currently has a low EPC rating, there are ways to enhance energy performance to improve this.   Conducting an energy audit to review your energy performance A key way to review your energy performance is through an energy audit. This can give you key insights into your workplace energy performance and offer ways to improve your energy efficiency.   What does a business energy audit do? An energy audit assesses how your business uses energy and identifies areas for improvement to enhance efficiency and improve overall energy performance. An audit examines key metrics and measurables, below are some examples.   Key metrics and measurables Energy cost: Refers to the financial cost of energy for your premises. Carbon emissions: This assesses your businesses environmental impact, through tracking your energy waste. Energy consumption: Refers to measuring the overall amount of energy that your building uses. Energy intensity: This refers to the amount of energy used per unit of production. An energy audit helps to track these key metrics, and suggests areas of improvement to improve your overall energy efficiency. By implementing the suggestions from your audit, you can help your business become more sustainable and energy efficient.   Business smart meters A business smart meter allows you to track your energy usage, allowing you to see exactly how you’re using your energy and provides insight into how changes could be made. Smart meters allow you to have greater control over your businesses energy usage, providing key information into spending and usage. For more information about smart meters and would like to register one, please contact our team.