Saving energy is one of the simplest ways to increase profits.
In retail businesses, energy costs may only be a small percentage
of turnover, but reducing them can directly increase margins
without the need to increase sales. Indeed, A 20% cut in energy
costs represents the same bottom line benefit as a 5% increase in
sales.
In addition to economic benefits, there are of course, social
and environmental advantages to reducing energy consumption, such
as preserving fossil fuel supply and minimising climate change.
Customers are increasingly aware of these issues and many are
choosing retailers who are taking positive steps for the
environment.
See below for three areas to focus on for reducing energy in
your sector.
Lighting: on
average, 25% of an organisation's electricity costs come from
lighting. Find out how you can cut these costs by up to a third
while reducing your carbon footprint and improving the working
environment for your staff.
Refrigeration: for some companies,
refrigeration can be as much as 50% of their energy bill. Find out
how you can make your system more efficient with advice on simple
energy saving measures, upgrading and replacing equipment.
Energy
management: get buy-in for energy saving across all levels of
the company, from appointing an energy manager and monitoring
energy use, to developing an action plan and training
staff.
Further guidance
Retail sector overview (CTV001)
Energy efficiency support
If you'd like to improve energy efficiency of your organisation,
see our services to find out how we can
help. This includes financing and implementation support for
organisations seeking to invest in energy efficient equipment, for
more details visit our Implementation &
finance page.
Visit our regional web pages for Wales and Northern Ireland to get details
of our government-funded support.