Energy is typically one of the biggest controllable costs for any business. However, energy use can differ dramatically across sectors. The energy consumption patterns of a busy retail store vary significantly from those of a manufacturing plant; the energy demands of a hospital also vary greatly from a corporate office. Despite these differences, many organizations still implement generic, one-size-fits-all energy plans and energy use strategies which are ineffective for the sector and generally result in waste and inflated utility costs.
In this context, a targeted, sector-based energy strategy for businesses could make a bit difference. By having energy supply contracts, usage patterns, and efficiency measures aligned with sectors’ operational requirements, opportunities arise for savings without competency requirements.
At E for Energy, we are adept in the particulars of every industry – gear-intensive factories to 24/7 care facilities. We know how to strategize and create solutions, reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and maintain energy resilience.
The energy profile of a business is influenced by more than just its size. Many factors can influence how and how much energy is consumed, including operating hours, peak load times, equipment usage, variability in usage through the seasons, and compliance requirements. For example, offices can waste electricity by leaving equipment running overnight, factories can have significant costs when machinery operates during peak tariff periods, retailers can experience seasonal spikes during festival times and hospitals must maintain supply regardless of cost when providing supply for critical patient care equipment.
A industry-specific energy plans approach recognizes these unique patterns and creates strategies to accommodate them. With E for Energy’s detailed analytics, businesses can:
• Recognize hidden inefficiencies in their current operations
• Source the lowest unit cost electricity from trusted suppliers
• Take advantage of tariffs that reflect their usage
• Implement targeted upgrades that provide a measurable return.
The value is more than just reduced bills, rather being smarter and future-proofing how they manage energy management.
In many cases, corporate offices may not have the same energy efficiency challenges that plants or factories have, but wasteful inefficiencies can occur. Examples can include usage of lighting during business hours in unoccupied meeting rooms, climate control when no one is in the office during weekends, and IT equipment/components that can accumulate wasted energy with passive standby mode.
Some good implementations could be:
• Smart lighting that employs individual motion sensors to reduce wasteful lighting in unoccupied meeting rooms and common places,
• HVAC programming, & scheduling to sample occupancy time & reduce conditioned space when no one is in the office,
• Simplifying supplier contracts, especially for companies with multiple sites, to further improve vendor billing, & have superior negotiating powers as a single account.
E for Energy helps companies effectively monitor current & ongoing electricity usage to promote benefits in requesting a reduced-tariff, and, where required, renegotiating supply contracts based on actual usage consumption and patterns. Not all company operational changes need to be huge to make impacts on the business’ economical ontology.
Retail sectors have distinct energy challenges with 24/7 light for displays to cooling cabinets for food/drinks. With busy footfall peaking on weekends, and peak seasons around holidays, it all adds to demand on systems.
Some options for retailers include:
• LED lighting upgrades to both present product better as well as reduce the amount of electricity consumed.
• High-efficiency refrigeration options to maintain temperature without creating more demand on energy.
• Incentives to shift load, like ice making or pre-cooling storage proactively during the off-peak demands and times.
E for Energy supports retailers by predicting anticipated seasonal demand and presenting pricing structures that flexibly support the demand. Getting to the electric bills predictable level is key and allow businesses to maintain their margins in a sales heavy or peak season.
Manufacturing processes often operate very energy intense machinery for extended periods of time, and usually 24/7. This results in a high base load demand and vulnerability to fee-increasing peak time pricing.
The strategies that can make an impact include:
• Power factor correction equipment which enhances electrical efficiency and minimizes waste.
• On-site renewable generation, such as solar panels or Combined heat and power (CHP) units to lessen our dependence on grid power.
• Peak demand management systems, which shift non-essential factory processes to outside the expensive tariff periods.
E for Energy can assist manufacturers to acquire Climate Change Levy (CCL) exemptions or reductions for energy-intensive processes, which reduces operational costs and continues to meet environmental regulations.
Hotels, resorts and other hospitality providers are 24/7 establishments that need to balance the comfort of their guests and the reality of high levels of energy consumption. Lighting that is continuously on in lobbies and halls, HVAC systems operating in guest rooms, kitchens supplying meals throughout the day, laundries providing towels and linens, and amenities such as pools or spas that use a significant amount of energy; energy usage is generally quite high over the calendar year.
However, it is possible to change behaviors and save energy. For example, zonal HVAC control will operate heating or cooling only in the occupied space – any unoccupied spaces do not need heating or cooling. Heat recovery systems can save energy by capturing exhaust from laundries and kitchens and utilising this heat source for water heating or space conditioning. High efficiency water heating solutions can significantly reduce energy consumption while supplying hot water for showers, dish-washing and spas without reducing the guest experience.
E for Energy can work with your hospitality establishment. E for Energy can help you identify these energy savings opportunities and also understand and access Home Rate VAT and Climate Change Levy (CCL) relief if you are eligible. All this goes to reducing your operational costs whilst continuing to provide the level of comfort and experience your guests expect during their stay.
Care facilities and healthcare facilities have some of the most complex energy challenges. First and foremost, patient safety and comfort are most important. This means that issues like climate control, sterilisation and medical equipment need to run whenever required. This is regardless of tariff of the energy charges.
The sector-based solutions for care facilities include:
• Heat recovery opportunities from heating, ventilation and air conditioning, which can help include heating savings without compromising comfort.
• Non-critical lighting alternatives (like LED and/or sensor based), for areas outside of patient areas, like hallways, administrative offices, etc.
• Load priority systems that make sure that life support medical equipment stays fully energized while non-life support applications can be managed around peak pricing and power savings.
• On-site renewables and sustainable energy solutions with back-up energy systems that allow resilience during grid failures and fluctuations in energy prices.
E for Energy works with client in Care Facilities to maintain required energy compliance per Health care facility requirements while looking for energy savings that do not threaten patient care or comfort. In a sector where reliability equals price, the balanced approach is most assuredly required.
run in environments where downtime is not an option. Servers running 24/7 supported by advanced cooling systems that constantly protect against overheating creates some of the highest, constant energy demands of any sector. Our goal is to manage this substantial base load as efficiently as possible for both cost and sustainability reasons.
There are proven approaches to achieving this identity that include supporting high-efficiency cooling solutions where possible, utilising free cooling systems where climate allows, server virtualisation that consolidates workloads supported by low power reading for idle servers, and innovation such as Renewable Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) that allow organisations to meet ESG commitments without compromising on reliability.
E for Energy’s sector specific expertise allows the company to negotiate supply contracts that reflect the unique operational profile of data centres. Through negotiating contracts for continuous high load operations with stable and competitive rates we are supporting and driving down costs for technology driven businesses to innovate reliably for their clients.
Energy is not simply a cost to be considered but a strategic resource that can either enhance profitability or destroy it. However, the nature of consumption varies considerably between sectors, and assuming it is the same in offices, factories, retail outlets and hospitals will lead to unnecessary waste. A tailored commercial energy strategies plan will identify the unique consumption patterns in operations, ensure that the supply contract matches demand, and introduce appropriate efficiency measures and incentives that generate real savings. At E for energy, we bring market knowledge, technical skills and already existing sector knowledge together to provide commercial energy solutions in the UK for reducing bills that do not impact your performance. A good plan does not provide just cost-cutting; it provides your business with the true possibility and potential to be sustainable, allow resilient growth, and be a cost-effective business through a detailed business energy audit UK.