Improve your care home’s energy efficiency with simple changes

We know that economic uncertainty and rising operational costs are putting extra pressure on care home providers right now. At this time of year, even the colder weather plays its part by adding to your bills.

We also know that you and your staff are busy people, and that it’s hard to dedicate time and headspace to addressing these challenges. Looking for ways to reduce your costs can be daunting prospect and slow process, especially when it often involves hours of online research in order to get to grips with the utility market and its pricing. According to the Carbon Trust, the UK healthcare sector spends more than £400 million on energy annually, with a significant portion of this energy going to waste.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Through our Go Green initiative and partnership with World Kinect, we’ve done much of the hard work for you, providing expertise and essential tips to help you make significant savings: savings you’ll quickly notice and which you’ll keep on making, well into the future. World Kinect energy saving tips will help your business become more informed and sustainable too – great for the planet and for your brand.

1 - Monitor your usage

It might sound obvious, but the easiest way to better energy efficiency is simply by using less of it. To do that, you need to start by monitoring your consumption, so you know how much you use in the first place. Don’t worry; with help from an effective energy partner like World Kinect, monitoring and analysing your site’s usage is surprisingly straightforward, and it will help you identify plenty of ways to reduce your consumption.

2 - Sensitive lighting

We can’t live without lights, but it’s relatively easy to make them more efficient. This is particularly good news when you consider that lighting alone can account for around 20% of electricity consumption in the UK, according to the Carbon Trust. Switching to LED and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) can really slash your electricity bills, meaning you’ll quickly recoup your initial outlay then save every day going forwards. You can reduce your bills even further by using daylight sensors, so lights don’t come on unless they’re actually needed.

3 - Keep the warmth in

The biggest single cost to your care home is almost certainly heating. According to studies conducted by the Energy Saving Trust, heating can account for around 70% of your energy bills. Effective insulation is important here, of course. It will trap the heat inside and help you keep your premises at a consistently comfortable temperature. Walls, floors and roofs can all be effectively insulated, and so can hot water tanks and pipework too. Double or even triple window glazing is another a good idea, and don’t forget to minimise any drafts, for example by fitting excluders in doorways.

4 - Efficient appliances

Having old boilers properly maintained is really important for energy efficiency as well as safety, or, better still, replace old boilers altogether with newer, more efficient, ones. Modern technology means the latest boilers are far more energy efficient than old ones, which means you can quickly recoup their initial cost through the savings you make in lower energy consumption.

5 - Water saving solutions

Just like with energy, you’ll save money in the long term if you can reduce the amount of water your site uses, either through better water management or by using less in the first place.

6 - Think ‘efficiency’

Try always to keep in mind the different everyday ways you can save energy or use it more wisely. Even little changes in habit can make a big difference over weeks, months and years, especially when they’re repeated by all your staff members. For example, try turning down the thermostat by a degree or two: you’ll be surprised at how much this can lower your bills without anyone even noticing. Other easy ones to remember are not leaving the TV on standby, closing internal doors, and only running the dishwasher or washing machine once it’s full.

Knowledge is power

The first step to reducing your utility bills is easy: you need a clear understanding of how your workplace is using them now, and how a few simple changes can reduce that consumption in the future. World Kinect can do all this for you, using state-of-the-art technology as well as expert analysis, planning and product knowledge. In fact, their comprehensive service can help lower your bills in the short, medium and long term.

World Kinect’s energy solutions are based on real-world operations, taking the unique circumstances and goals of your business into account. Their team will begin with a full and honest assessment of your energy supply and consumption, then recommend changes that are perfectly achievable within your budget and timescale. They might even employ independent consultants for extra detail and clarity.

Ultimately, they’ll create a detailed overview and step-by-step energy plan that considers every single element of your relationship with energy. That means everything from lighting, heating and powered equipment right through to your buildings’ insulation, your staff’s activities and habits, and even any seasonal variations in usage.

As well as reducing your bills by shrinking your energy consumption, there’s a whole range of additional energy services World Kinect can help you with too. This includes using its knowledge of energy markets and expertise in brokering to find the perfect supplier for your business: a great way to save you some time as well as cut the unit cost of your energy. World Kinect’s advisers can also help with areas like improving your site’s sustainability or installing electric charging points.

Supporting your Green journey

Whichever of its services you might be interested in, World Kinect is an energy partner we’re delighted to have on board as part of our Go Green initiative. It’s a business with real expertise and a long, proud track record in the energy sector. A business that we think can quickly make a significant difference to the commercial and environmental performance of healthcare settings like yours.

To ask for a free no-obligation callback about energy saving, contact World Kinect.