Advertisement feature from AquaSwitch
On Tuesday, 27 June, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) lobbied the government to take urgent action to tackle the effects of skyrocketing energy prices on the car industry.
Since December 2021, wholesale energy costs have soared with the Ukrainian conflict reducing natural gas supplies into Europe. Worse is potentially to come with Russia imposing a further 40% reduction on the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, Europe’s most important source of gas imports.
Car dealerships coming to the end of fixed-rate energy contracts are finding that renewal rates have doubled, adding financial pressure on an already challenging economic environment.
AquaSwitch, business utility experts, has the following tips for mitigating the soaring costs of business energy.
Three easy tips to reduce energy consumption
Dealerships pay for electricity and gas charges based on the number of units kWh of energy consumed. The surest way to save on energy costs is to reduce unnecessary consumption. Here are three low-hanging fruit steps for reducing energy consumption:
i. Smart timers – Everyday equipment such as printers and scanners typically rest in standby mode, awaiting an order to jump into action. Although this is helpful in the middle of the day, it is almost pointless in the middle of the night. Setting up equipment to fully power off when the work day has ended will make a big difference.
ii. Eco-mode – Modern equipment, following recent efficiency legislation, typically has the option to operate in an eco-mode. Taking the example of a dishwasher, an eco-mode cycle will take a bit longer to work but will use 30% less energy to complete its job.
iii. Monitor and analyse your energy consumption – If you’re a multi-site dealership installing smart meters linked to a monitoring system will help manage and reduce energy consumption. Energy monitoring software allows you to compare the consumption of dealerships and reconditioning centres site by site. You’ll quickly identify outliers that can suggest inefficient equipment and processes.
Compare business energy prices.
Business energy prices are highly volatile, and there are many different suppliers competing with one another to offer the best deals. In these difficult times, ensuring you’re paying competitive rates is essential.
We recommend using a business price comparison tool to compare renewal rates being offered to alternative quotes from across the market. Request a free, no-obligation business energy comparison quote with AquaSwitch with just a few clicks here.