Save the cost of energy at work!!
Effective energy saving campaign on the cheap?
With energy prices having shot up, you want to run a campaign to encourage staff to save on heating, lighting etc. What are the things to keep in mind to ensure this is effective and what results can you realistically expect?
Related documents - The Next Step
Establish your aim and objective
The aim gives you direction, whilst the objective will ensure you monitor how successful you are in achieving that aim. For example, if the aim is to “encourage staff to save energy”, a suitable objective might be: “Reduce energy use by 10%.” Tip. Choose your aim and objective carefully. With energy prices where they are and the topic in the news, this is a perfect time to engage with staff.
Set your campaign messages
Keep things clear and simple, selling the benefits to staff. For example, turning off IT equipment when it’s not in use will save money and prolong its life. Remember that some staff will be motivated by the environmental benefits of such a campaign but most won’t. So make sure they understand that saving energy has benefits to the bottom line, which means business (and job!) security.
Tip. Introduce a competitive element, in which you challenge staff to make energy savings . It’s easy to calculate how much money you will save by cutting your energy by, say, 10% or 20%, so you can put some aside as a “prize” if the target is met. Competition between sites can also be effective.
Plan your activities
Putting up posters to encourage staff to “turn off the lights” is a good idea (and there are free ones available that you can personalise, see The next step ). But you need to communicate to staff why you are doing this.
Tip. Organise a short training session, giving staff an opportunity to ask questions and for you to explain the benefits of getting things right. It’s also a chance to put in place any responsibilities, e.g. the last one out switches any remaining lights off. It might be the case that someone wants to lead the campaign and becomes the firm’s green champion.
Tip. Don’t forget that most of the measures you are implementing are applicable to staff when they are working at home too, so you’re saving them money.
Set a budget and a timescale
How much time and money you want to invest will depend on how engaged your team are and how much effort you’ve put in already.
Tip. Don’t confuse staff by doing one green campaign with lots of different actions, e.g. energy saving , recycling, cycle to work etc. Instead, plan twelve months of simple activities that will all contribute to reducing emissions and saving you money, with the biggest, easiest savings first, i.e. energy.
Monitor what’s been achieved
This will tell you what kind of engagement works and what doesn’t, as well as how much has been saved.
Tip. Whatever aim and objective you set, you will need to establish a benchmark so you can see how you are doing. This information can tell you whether you are saving any money; it can also be used to show staff that their efforts are making a difference, which will encourage further action.
Tip. Before the campaign starts conduct a few simple checks, e.g. thermostat setting, radiators that are blocked, outside light timings etc. (see The next step ).
Switching off lights, turning down and unblocking radiators etc. are all simple tactics to cut energy use. Making these messages part of a competitive campaign is an effective way to cut the company’s bills. Remember to benchmark where you started to ensure the initiative is working and have a clear aim and objective.