Electricity audits analyze the sources and amount of electricity consumption in your business. This includes everything from your manufacturing machinery and IT systems, to HVAC and lighting. The information is used as a starting point for minimizing electrical consumption, while maintaining full business operating efficiencies.
Why You Need an Electricity Audit
The obvious benefit of an audit of your electrical consumption is that it leads to significant overhead cost savings. But, you might already have low-energy LED lighting and a program of shutting down equipment when it’s not in use.
But the advantages of electricity audits go beyond the obvious. For example, even the idea of reducing your energy costs has advantages beyond cost savings.
If anything has been consistent in business over the past couple of years, it is disruption. From labour shortages to supply chain issues, businesses of all types have been roiled by unprecedented risks. Many of them threatening the business’ viability.
So businesses must find ways to make themselves more resilient to disruption. Many look for redundancies in their supply chains, or make their companies more attractive to job candidates. But those initiatives can actually increase operating costs.
However, initiatives that lower overhead reduce ongoing costs, which makes the business far healthier in the long run. Suddenly, reducing how much energy you use carries a significantly bigger payoff than just a lower electricity bill.
Still, there are even more reasons to do an electrical audit.
It Supports Your Branding
By simply including your electricity audit as part of your overall campaign to make your business greener, it can help cover the cost of an audit. Other companies and end consumers increasingly seek to do work with businesses that actively use and promote green initiatives. Your electricity audit can be a cornerstone of that effort.
Forms a Baseline to Measure Performance
So how much money are those LED fixtures saving you every month? Are you sure you are monitoring all sources of energy consumption in your business? Only by doing an audit can you understand your current level of energy use. That way, when you make any improvements, you can measure the benefit.
Gives You a Roadmap for Improvement
Yes, LED lighting is famous for its energy efficiency. But what’s the next best part of your electrical grid to improve? Your electricity audit can be used to identify and prioritize the initiatives for reducing energy use across the enterprise.
Improves Your Facility & Its Value
LED lighting and fixtures aren’t just less expensive. They are more versatile, offer more even and consistent lighting for workplaces and requires less maintenance. There are similar advantages in other areas. For example, newer, more energy efficient air circulation equipment can improve air quality in the workplace, run quieter and need far less servicing and repairs.
Identifies Benefits of Automation & IoT
If it’s difficult to reduce electrical usage when it’s not needed, why not get technology to do it for you? New electrical systems for lighting, HVAC, refrigeration and manufacturing equipment can make sure you only use energy when needed. And you can shut the lights off even if you’re not onsite.
Determines Viability of Alternative Energy Sources
In many cases there are alternative sources for the energy you use. Something as simple as skylights can slash your lighting costs during daylight hours. Especially if your facility has a large footprint, solar power can not only reduce costs, but could become a revenue stream. When you do an electricity audit, it can help you do a cost benefit analysis of the viability of these and other alternative energy source.
If you found this post helpful and are looking for other ways to make your business more resilient, check out our recent article 4 Benefits of IT Asset Management.