Small business owners are increasingly choosing to run their companies from the comfort of their homes, as the technological revolution is making it easy and cost-effective to center your operations in your home office, manage a remote team via the cloud, and automate various processes for maximum efficiency and efficacy. However, if you are to minimize financial expenditure over time, you need to think about more than just improving your operations—you need to cut your utility bills as well by boosting energy efficiency.
A big part of taking control of your energy bills is creating a strategy to make the necessary changes and introduce the necessary technology that will make your home office and your entire home more energy efficient. Let’s take a look at the best ways your home-based small business can save money on energy expenditures.
[1] Start With the Lighting Scheme
The lighting in your home office should be optimized to elevate productivity and ensure day-long zeal, all the while minimizing fatigue, eye strain, and preventing the dreaded mental fog. Combined with some natural elements such as potted greenery, a well-lit room can help you feel rested throughout the day all the while minimizing energy consumption.
Start by emphasizing the natural light in the room. If you’re still in the process of choosing the room for your home office, make a north-facing space. These spaces enjoy plenty of indirect natural light during the day, without the risk of overheating. Pull up the blinds and consider expanding your window scheme to get as much light as possible. When the evening sets, you’ll need an energy-efficient overhead light, and a warm spot light for your workstation.
[2[ Invest in a Smart, Automated Home System
It should go without saying that home automation can not only help you create a more productive and comfortable living environment, but a more energy-efficient one as well. Creating a smart living environment will help you to go green in a number of other ways besides minimizing your energy consumption on a daily basis. But when it comes to your home office, it can help you optimize your operations across the board.
Start by taking control of the temperature in the room without inflating your bills with a smart thermostat. This nifty device will ensure that every area of your home enjoys the right temperature. You can also introduce motion sensors to control the lighting, and a smart hub to control other accessories and their energy use.
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[3[ Run a Thorough Energy Audit
Of course, there can’t be an energy-efficient home-based small business if you don’t know exactly where the biggest energy consumption offenders in your home are located. What you need to do is get a professional energy audit done.
This is one of those trends that has become particularly popular in costly residential regions, such as in my home base of Australia. Here, many home-based business owners opt to have their electrician in Sydney and other cities conduct a holistic energy audit in order to discover all of the areas in their home that are contributing to excessive energy usage.
Likewise, no matter where you live, be sure to have your local electrician do the same, and then have them draw up a plan for improvements. This may include better, smarter, and more efficient lighting, a whole-home energy monitor, and other solutions—it can make all the difference.
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[4] Introduce Passive Conservation Features
If you’re working with an experienced electrician, they may well advise you to invest in passive conservation features to help reduce energy expenditures. These measures can include choosing the ideal window shades to control natural light, all the way to replacing old windows with double-glazed models, adding insulation to the walls and the roof, and more. These passive solutions can help minimize air conditioning use during the summer, and cut back on heating during the colder months of the year.
[5] Buy Energy-Efficient Work Equipment
And of course, every modern home-based business needs to run on the right work tech. Depending on the nature of your job and your plans for the future, this might be one of the biggest investments you’ll have to make, but it will be worth it in the long run. Choose contemporary appliances, tech, and gadgets that boast an Energy Star rating and have smart conservation features that will kick in as needed.
Where possible, purchase items that you can connect to your selected connected smart home ecosystem and hub, and that you can monitor and control via smartphone as well.
Wrapping Up
Energy efficiency is one of the key fundamentals of a thriving home-based business. With these solutions in hand, you should have no problem creating a home office built for the future, all the while making long-term financial savings.
