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Every business owner has 2 things on their mind at all times: how do I make more money and how do I spend less money? Growing revenue and cutting costs is essential to expanding any business, large or small. Unfortunately, ElectricityRates.com can't provide you insight on how to grow your business but we can offer advice and help you cut costs. Mainly, how to reduce your monthly business energy bill with an energy audit. Business energy audits have been around for a long time but haven’t been essential until recently. Businesses are using more energy than ever before and, with the raising energy costs, an energy audit can save you a lot on your monthly energy bill and put that money back on your bottom line.
What is a Business Energy Audit?
Any business, large or small, should consider getting an energy audit from a licensed account manager. They provide a 360-degree view on where your business is using the most energy and provide a list of recommendations and potential returns. For most energy audits, an on-site guided walk through of your facility takes place. It's best to have an employee who is knowledgeable of the facility and has access to all the areas to do this tour. Typically equipped with thermal imaging sensors, the auditor will check everything from the energy meter to the lighting in each room, equipment, controls, electronics and more. They will then research your surrounding areas to find out how much energy buildings around yours are using. Finally, they will do in-depth research on the history of the building to see any trends in power consumption. At the end, there is a comprehensive audit report given to the owner that has in-depth detail on the energy usage and provides recommendations on how to save energy. If the recommendations involve investing in a more energy efficient solution, they will typically provide a payback period for when you will see a return and detail how much you will save annually. They will also detail the environmental impact your business has and how you can reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
How do I get an Energy Audit?
With so many energy efficient solutions and companies flooding the market, the competition for your electricity dollar is more competitive than ever. Also, with the raising electricity costs, getting a business energy audit is becoming essential as the electric bill every month is getting to be a substantial hit to your bottom line. A business energy audit can typically cost anything from $1,000 to $15,000 depending on the level of depth you are looking for. Your utility will typically offer a business energy audit service but make sure you shop your local area as well for pricing and the level of detail/research you get for each price. Sites like HomeAdvisor.com can also connect you with a licensed energy efficiency professional for much less if you have a smaller business/building.
The most import thing a business energy audit provides is knowledge. With knowledge, you can make better and well-informed decisions as a business owner. It doesn't matter if you use the report to just cut back on energy usage in certain non-essential areas or if you decide to make a large investment in a new energy efficient solution. Energy audits don't have to be complex, expensive or time-consuming but they should be done so that you can prepare your business for the future and save money in the process.
