Many of us probably take our lighting for granted. Compared to the computers, printers, servers and high powered machines that we use every day, lights probably don’t spring to the top of our minds when it comes to our energy use. However, having even just a few lights on for long hours can really add up when it comes to costs.

Take Joe Glass of Dale-Glass Industries. His warehouse had 10 overhead 400W halogen bulbs that each cost $8 a day to run. As part of the NSW small business energy efficiency program, Joe completed an energy audit and installed skylights to maximise natural lighting. As a result, his business would now save $1000 a year on electricity bills.

There are a number of ways your business can reduce its energy bills and help the environment. Have you thought about your lighting options?

Energy Efficient lighting

When it comes to reducing energy costs, investing in energy efficient light bulbs is a great long term investment. Replacing a single light bulb could reduce your energy spend by $6 a year. For businesses with larger premises, this could add up to hundreds of dollars a year.

• Compact Fluorescent Lights – with their distinguishable spiral design, compact fluorescents lights (CFLs) can be great alternatives to traditional incandescent bulbs and are designed to fit screw and plug in sockets. And unlink the harsh, cold white fluorescent lights associated with hospitals and schools, CFLs can emit the same warm luminescence of incandescent bulbs while using energy up 4 times more efficiently. CFLs also typically last 10 times longer.
• LED lights – Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are solid, compact light bulbs that you often see on instrument panels. Today, clusters of LEDs are grouped together and diffused to create a viable lighting option for most fixtures, including spotlights, recessed downlights or even powerful outdoor flood lights. While LEDs cost more from the onset, they last almost 10 times longer than CFLs and are even more efficient when it comes to their energy use.

You can also integrate your lighting upgrade with a solar panel system or similar investment.

By reducing your electricity consumption you’ll be saving money on your energy bills and lending a helping hand to our environment.

Robbo
robbo@flexigroup.com.au