Save energy: 10 simple tips and tricks

Entrepreneurs can save a lot of money if they save energy (Photo: iStockphoto / vchal)

Photo: vchal

The war in Ukraine makes it clear that we should become independent of imported gas and other energy. Whether it’s a manufacturing company with large halls full of energy-hungry machines, a software factory with a server room that needs to be cooled, or a small architectural office with a few computers – anyone who optimizes their energy consumption increases their own efficiency and thus also their competitiveness.

Tip 1: Save energy – get an overview!

Many entrepreneurs don’t even know what Energy saving potential You have. The first step is therefore to get an overview. Common sense, a scrutinizing eye and the collection of various data help here. Electricity load management can be checked, for example, by requesting the load profile from the energy supplier and examining it. What is important here is the base load.

Further questions include: Are there performance peaks and what causes them? Is load shifting possible to save money? Another way to determine savings potential can be an energy audit, which initially costs time and money, but saves money in the medium term.

Tip 2: Let there be light!

Using natural light saves money. And depending on the age of the current light source, you can save even more if you replace the old light bulbs with modern LEDs. That doesn’t sound like a lot of money at first, but over the years a lot comes together.

The same applies to the use of lamps. Do they always have to be on? Motion detectors or timers can be worthwhile in the hallway, in toilets or in the coffee kitchen.

Tip 3: Be careful, compressed air!

Anyone who uses compressed air in their production knows that it uses enormous amounts of energy. Regularly Maintenance and control of the entire system is therefore an absolute must. Every leak costs money. Even reducing the pressure by one bar saves several percent of energy. Higher acquisition costs for more efficient devices can arise after just a few years – as can a detailed leak check. The IHK recommends the following measures:

• Avoid leaks

• Adjustment of compressed air distribution

• Use of efficient compressors

• Energy-optimized control

• Compressed air storage

• Compressed air preparation

• Use waste heat

Tip 4: Use waste heat and save energy

In many companies, heat is generated as an undesirable by-product. The so-called waste heat often escapes into the environment or has to be laboriously cooled down. Companies are now recognizing the potential that lies in the industrial use of this waste heat. Waste heat utilization is particularly interesting for manufacturing companies. Waste heat must not have high temperatures in order to provide energy for other processes.

30 degrees is enough to heat rooms. However, to preheat combustion air you need temperatures of 400 degrees. Anyone who has not yet had the potential of waste heat on their radar should find out more about it.

Tip 5: Maintain and optimize heating and air conditioning systems

In order to optimize the efficiency of air conditioning and ventilation systems, they should be adapted to requirements and regularly maintained. Old systems should be optimized or modernized. Whether in the catering industry, in the grocery store, in floristry or in an air-conditioned office: refrigeration systems are often enormous Savings potential. If they are not regularly serviced and cared for, the value will increase Power consumptionas heat exchangers become clogged, filters are tight and coolant leaks.

And it doesn’t always have to be at full speed: if you set your cooling system from 19 degrees to 22 degrees, for example, you can save a lot of energy. The cooling load can also be reduced with external sun protection.

Tip 6: Don’t waste the money

Actually clear, but the savings potential is greater than many people expect. For example, if you reduce the room temperature at your workplace by 1 to 2 degrees, you can save between 6 and 12 percent energy and therefore costs. Of course, you shouldn’t let your employees freeze; it’s important to find a good balance. Proper ventilation is important to avoid mold. In principle, only shock or cross ventilation should be used during the heating period, because compared to simple “tilt ventilation” you can see a lot more save energy.

Important: When ventilating, the heating thermostat must be turned off completely before opening the window and turned back up to the desired room temperature after closing (usually level 3). Turning the thermostat all the way up does not speed up the heating process. The heating of corridors and adjoining rooms should be reduced and kept to a minimum. With a sealing tape, the windows can be sealed better without much effort.

Tip 7: Get your employees on board

If employees pay little attention to saving energy, gigantic savings potential falls by the wayside and many of the measures listed above simply fail. Because whether it’s the toggle switch on the power strip, the standby on the screen or the window wide open with the heating turned on: it’s the mass that counts! If the employees are on board and are appropriately sensitized and trained, they help save energy. Such measures are cost-effective and have a quick effect without requiring large investments.

Tip 8: Energy-saving IT infrastructure

No company can avoid IT anymore. Of course, the haberdashery has different needs than the server farm, but for many SMEs IT is playing an increasingly important role, not only in terms of software, but also as hardware. Here it can be worthwhile to consider the energy costs before purchasing and to focus on medium-term solutions. Not every company needs its own server room – perhaps many things can be outsourced to the cloud.

Tip 9: Mobility management

Sustainable mobility in the company leads to cost reductions, promotes the health and performance of employees and is good for the image. A useful tool for achieving these goals is to introduce operational mobility management in order to become less dependent on fossil fuels.

• Incentives for cycling, for example bike leasing and secure parking spaces

• Job tickets for public transport use or subsidies

• Reduction in free parking spaces

• Setting up the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles

• Promotion of carpooling

Tip 10: Pay attention to energy efficiency

An oldie but goldie: When buying new machines, entrepreneurs should pay attention to their energy consumption and, if necessary, use government funding programs that support the switch to more efficient technologies. Many devices have energy saving modes that are often not used. By using these functions, companies can immediately, especially in everyday office life, without major investments Reduce energy consumption.