Guide
Energy Saving Tips for UK Businesses
Practical fixes that cut consumption without changing how you trade, followed by the tips that matter most in each of the ten sectors we cover.
Your tariff is the biggest single lever on your bill and the fastest to pull, but the kilowatt hours behind it are worth attacking too. Work through the categories that apply to your site, then read the tips written for your sector at the bottom of the page.
Lighting
Move the whole site to LED, including the back of house areas that always get left until last
Put motion sensors in toilets, stores, corridors and cold rooms
Time exterior signage and display lighting to your trading hours rather than leaving it on all night
Clean fittings and diffusers on a schedule, because dirt cuts light output and tempts people to add more lamps
Use daylight sensors on any area with a shopfront or rooflights
Heating and cooling
Set a programmable thermostat or a proper time clock to your actual trading hours, including weekends
Check door seals, draught strips and roller shutter gaps once a season
Service heating and air conditioning yearly and change filters quarterly, because a clogged filter makes the unit work harder for the same result
Stop heating and cooling fighting each other in the same room, which is common where a split unit and a radiator share a wall
Fit air curtains or PVC strip curtains on entrances that stand open during trade
Ventilation and extraction
Put variable speed drives on extraction and supply fans so they are not running flat out through prep and clean down
Interlock extraction with the equipment it serves, so the canopy or booth steps down when the load does
Clean filters weekly, because a blocked filter makes the fan work harder and moves less air
Seal ductwork properly, as leaks waste fan energy and pull conditioned air out of the room
Look at heat recovery on any system that exhausts warm air all day
Refrigeration and cold storage
Check door seals and hinges monthly, because a tired seal runs the compressor far longer than it needs to
Keep condenser coils clean and clear of stock, boxes and dust
Do not overfill cabinets or block the air return slots inside them
Defrost on a schedule, because ice on the evaporator is lost capacity you are paying for
Fit night blinds to open fronted cabinets and strip curtains to walk in rooms
Process and production equipment
Stagger start up times so ovens, compressors, dryers and machinery do not all draw peak load at once
Fix compressed air leaks, which are usually the cheapest saving on any site with a compressor
Drop equipment to standby between peaks rather than holding everything at full temperature or pressure
Match equipment to the shift, so a second oven, dryer or line runs only when the volume needs it
Log meter readings weekly so you notice a change in your baseload before the quarterly bill does
Tariff and contract
Never let a contract lapse, because deemed and out of contract rates are the single most expensive way to buy energy
Diarise your contract end date and start comparing 6 to 12 months out
Look at the standing charge as well as the unit rate, since on a small site it can be a meaningful share of the bill
Ask about day and night rates if you trade early, late or around the clock
Check your VAT and CCL treatment, because some low usage sites and some charities qualify for a reduced rate
Sector specific tips
The biggest saving is rarely the same in a takeaway as it is in a launderette or a care home. These come from the research behind each sector guide. Follow the link for the full set, the equipment breakdown and typical bills by size.
Hospitality and food venues
- Put extraction on variable speed or a demand controlled system so it is not running flat out through prep and clean down
- Lid your fryers and drop them to standby between service peaks, hot oil holds temperature far longer than most kitchens assume
Convenience and food retail
- Fit night blinds to open multideck chillers to cut cabinet energy overnight, typically by around 10%, and retro-fit glass doors where you can, which cuts that cabinet's use by around 30% because it works all day as well as all night
- Clean condenser coils and filters on every chiller and freezer quarterly, because dust makes the compressor run longer for the same shelf temperature
Motor trade and vehicle repair
- Fix compressed air leaks first. A single 3 mm leak on a workshop ring main can waste roughly £700 to £1,000 of electricity a year, and most garages have several.
- Fit a variable speed drive to the compressor and drop the pressure setting to the lowest your air tools actually need. Every 1 bar of unnecessary pressure adds roughly 7% to compressor energy.
Farming and agriculture
- Read your meter at the start and end of harvest or housing season so you can show a supplier your real load shape instead of letting them price the worst case
- Fit variable speed drives to vacuum pumps and ventilation fans, which typically cut fan energy by 30% to 50% because power falls with the cube of fan speed
Hair, beauty and personal care
- Swap halogen mirror spots and treatment room downlights for LED, roughly a fifth of the power and far less heat for the air conditioning to fight
- Put the hot water cylinder, towel cabinet and wax pot on a timer set to your trading hours, these are the classic overnight leaks in a salon
Hotels and accommodation
- Fit key card or occupancy control so unsold rooms drop back to a setback temperature instead of running at full heat all night
- Put hot water on a timed schedule built around check in, breakfast and the evening shower peak rather than holding the cylinder flat out all day
Bakeries, breweries and food production
- Ask your supplier for a half hourly or smart meter data download and look at the 3am to 7am block. Bakeries, roasteries and breweries often carry a large night load that should be priced differently from a nine to five shop.
- Get oven door seals, steam tube gaskets and prover door seals checked annually. A worn seal leaks heat continuously and never shows up as a fault, only as a bigger gas bill.
Gyms, fitness and leisure
- Put your gym floor, studios and car park on LED with daylight and PIR control. Carbon Trust puts lighting at up to 20% of total energy cost in a dry leisure centre and around 10% where there is a pool, and says occupancy sensors alone can take up to 30% off lighting costs.
- Time-clock or BMS-control your air handling units so ventilation follows the class timetable instead of running flat out from open to close.
Care homes and supported living
- Put your contract end date in the diary today and start pricing 6 to 12 months out. Care homes are classic rollover targets, and out-of-contract or deemed rates typically run 30 to 80 percent above a negotiated fixed price on published broker estimates.
- If you have a smart or AMR meter, ask your supplier for half-hourly data. In a care home it almost always shows the laundry and kitchen peaks stacking on top of an overnight baseload that never drops far, which is the profile a broker needs to price you properly.
Launderettes, dry cleaners and laundries
- Sub-meter your dryers for one month. Drying is typically the largest single line on a laundry bill and you cannot cut what you have never measured separately.
- Fit or enable moisture-sensing dryer controls so cycles stop when the load is actually dry instead of running a fixed timer to the end. Over-drying is pure waste and it damages fabric.
Want someone to look at the site itself?
Our sister brand Smart Energy Business can audit your premises and quote for lighting, refrigeration, heating controls and solar. Part of their energy efficiency services.
Start with a free comparison of your ratesYour free proposal
Your business. Your savings estimate.
Answer a few quick questions and get your free instant savings estimate by WhatsApp and email.