Get your staff involved to exercise these energy-saving tips – you’ll save a lot more if everyone remembers to turn off gadgets and lights when they’re not being used.
Every business owner is looking for ways to save money.
Improving cashflow in your cafe often starts with the little things. Electricity bills can be one of the most costly expenses of running a hospitality business and bills tend to increase as your business grows.
Reducing energy usage is about more than ensuring the toilet lights are turned off when the day is done. There are a variety of unique things a café owner can do to reduce their monthly electricity spend.
Here are eight simple and cost-effective ways to reduce unnecessary energy use and save money.
In the kitchen
- Take care of that refrigerator. Refrigerators run 24-hours a day, which means this is the one gadget that’s likely to eat up most of your electricity. A refrigerator with at least a four-star energy rating will be easy on the pocket in the long run and can lead to savings between 10% and 70% compared to standard models.
- Watch the oven. Commercial ovens can use up a lot of power, so it’s a good idea to make sure you have an energy efficient model and it’s being used to its optimum capacity. Some simple tips can be implemented in this regard – don’t preheat if it’s not required, keep it clean and don’t leave the oven door open unnecessarily.
In the main cafe area
- Reset that thermostat. Your heating and cooling system works best when it’s set closest to the temperature outside, which is 25ºC in summer and 20ºC in winter. Every degree cooler in summer or warmer in winter can spike your power costs by as much as 10%.
- Cut on lighting costs. Lighting costs can comprise about 35% of your energy usage so you should replace standard light bulbs with LEDs or CFLs because even if they do cost a little more to begin with, they last much longer and consume about 75% less electricity.
- Make your cafe more energy efficient. Fix the draughts and add door seals to the bottom of the doors to ensure you’re not losing heated or cooled air to broken windows. You can also install window tinting or external shading so the heating and cooling system doesn’t have to work extra hard.
Bonus tips
- Check your bills. When was the last time you looked at your energy bill? Can’t remember? You may find you have completed your initial contract and the discounts you signed up for have long expired. Energy providers often roll you over to a standard plan after the fixed term is over and it’s possible that you’re paying a higher tariff than you think.
- Switch your energy provider. Compare the cheapest small business energy providers for your area, see who’s offering the best discounts and ongoing rates. Switching retailers can save you hundreds of dollars in a year.
- Bring your staff on board. Finally, get your staff involved to exercise these energy-saving tips – you’ll save a lot more if everyone remembers to turn off gadgets and lights when they’re not being used.
Rajhev Rajkumar, General Manager, Small Business First
