If you own your own business, you probably already know that saving energy and cutting extraneous costs is of vital importance. Surviving as a business often comes down to keeping your bottom line solid. When you’re wasting money on energy, that profit line can often recede farther and farther away from you. Saving money on energy is something that every business can do, no matter what sector or industry they operate in. Many different kinds of businesses, including restaurants, retail, manufacturing, and service-based businesses, can start cutting down energy costs by following a few simple steps. In this article, we’re going to go over all the basics of saving energy for your business. With this information at your fingertips, you’ll be able to take practical steps to making your business more energy efficient. When your business uses energy more effectively, you’ll be able to make more profit and reinvest your hard-earned money back into your business, instead of letting it disappear into your energy costs. Do An Energy Audit for Your Business Saving money for your business has a lot of different facets. You can concentrate on various parts of your business that use lots of energy, such as lighting, electronics, and other kinds of equipment. To find out what areas you need to focus on first, you need to do an energy audit for your business. Conducting an energy audit allows you to pinpoint the areas of your business that use the most energy. Depending on what kind of business you run, the most energy-intensive parts of your business could be different. An energy audit doesn’t have to be a complex, time-consuming process either. You can do your own, free energy audit by walking around your building and making a list of how much energy each facet of your business uses. Simply make a list of what’s using energy in your business. Check out your thermostat, light bulbs and light fixtures, refrigerators, and any other electronics. Do the calculations and find out how much energy you could save by upgrading to new equipment. Finding out which parts of your business use the most energy will allow you to concentrate on replacing your most energy-intensive lighting or electronics first. Equipping these with more energy-efficient technology will allow you to reap the most savings right off the bat. With these savings in hand, you can then start systematically replacing everything in your business with more energy-efficient technology. Upgrade to LED Technology If you haven’t upgraded your business’s lighting to LED, you might consider making the switch sometime soon. LED technology is simply the most energy-efficient lighting available today, and is available for many different kinds of lighting fixtures. Whether your business needs high bay lighting for big warehouses or manufacturing buildings, or atmosphere lighting for your high-scale restaurant or bar concept, LED lighting could be your ticket to lower energy bills. For your current fluorescent, incandescent, HID, or other type of traditional lighting, chances are there is an LED equivalent that will save you money on energy. If you don’t want to pay for a completely new fixture, there are also many different types of LED retrofit kits available that allow you to install LED bulbs and lamps in your current fixtures. It’s an economical and efficient way to make the switch, helping you lower your energy costs and save money for your business. Automate Your Lighting and Utilize Natural Light In addition to upgrading to LED lights, you can also save money by automating your business’s lighting. This can be as simple as installing a few motion sensor lights in places where it’s not necessary to have lights on all the time, or upgrading to a fully automated system that you can control with an app on your smartphone. When it comes to automation, it’s all about what works best for you and your business. There are many different kinds of sensors available today, including vacancy and occupancy sensors, allowing you to customize how you want your lighting to operate. You can also have lights that work on timers and certain schedules so you exactly how much energy you’re using every day.  You can also pair automated lighting with natural light so that your business utilizes sunlight to light your spaces as much as possible. Looking for office spaces that maximize natural light is a good first step in that direction. If you want to go even farther, you can install daylight sensor lights in your space. These lights read the amount of daylight available, adjusting the artificial light levels appropriately so your space is always lit at the desired light level. Reduce Peak Demand “Peak demand” refers to the hours in the day in which energy usage is at its highest in your area. Not surprisingly, this time is usually around normal office hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you’re able to operate your business at different times, you can avoid the higher energy costs that come with the “peak demand” time. If your business operates heavy equipment or energy-intensive electronics, staggering your hours of operations or rescheduling them for the early morning and evening hours can help you reduce energy costs. During the day, when “peak demand” is at its highest, is the time when your business would conserve energy and do less-energy intensive tasks. Program Your Thermostats This is a simple tip, but it’s amazing how many businesses forget to do this. Programming your thermostat allows you to minimize the amount of energy usage that goes into heating and cooling your business space. It also allows you to use less energy when people aren’t in your building, such as after you’ve closed up shop and gone home for the day. Get Your Employees Involved Even if you take all these precautions, you’ll still waste money if you don’t get your employees involved in your energy-saving goals. Using incentives can be a great way to motivate employees to use less energy while at work. Or you can great company projects that have your employees brainstorming ways to save money for the company. Someone at your company may have a great idea that you haven’t even thought of how the business could save energy and reduce operating costs. Make a Business Account at Shine Retrofits One way to take your energy efficiency to the next level is to sign up for a business account with Shine Retrofits. This account allows you to get personalized service for your business. We provide you with a dedicated account manager that will help get you the right lighting for your lighting projects. In addition, we also give your business free shipping and free returns. To apply for a business account with Shine Retrofits, you can fill out the application form here. Shine Retrofits is always staying at the cutting edge of lighting technology. We’re constantly getting in new products that we’re excited to share with you. These include the CREE LED globe wall mount fixture, which boasts a 4000k color temperature and an incredibly long life span of 172,000 hours. If you have any questions about our energy-efficient LED products, please give us a call at your convenience. Our team of lighting experts are here to help you make your business more energy efficient and save money in the process. Please call us at 1-877-948-5411 anytime Monday through Friday from 6 am to 6 pm, Mountain Standard Time. We can’t wait to hear from you!