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POWER CUTS
Page 48
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Some energy commentators are predicting that gas and electricity prices will increase by 40% by 2009, while the government is staying very quiet about how bad it thinks it could get. The good news is that high costs are a great motivator when it comes to stopping waste. Cut your power usage and slash your bills by trying the following: • Educate your staff.
• Turn off anything that isn't in use, even for a short while-computer screens use a large proportion of the electricity needed to run the whole machine. It is a myth that 'It takes more power to boot a machine up than to leave it running. Get some stickers made and slap them around the premises saying: "Done? Then turn me off!"
• Don't heat buildings after hours or at weekends.
• Keep internal doors closed to stop heat escaping. Limit the number of external doors in use to the minimum. If appropriate, make them automatic or self-closing but don't put automatic doors by a busy walkway where the sensors will continually make them open and shut needlessly.
• Do you really need air conditioning or recirculated air'? Would an open window be greener, cheaper and healthier?
• Check out green suppliers. There are a number of green energy suppliers out there and most are very keen to find business customers and even partners. Green Energy (www.greenenergy. uk.com/default.aspx) only buys from sustainable sources: Ecotricity (www.ecotricity.cauk/business) runs wind farms, For the government's take on renewable energy, see www.berr.gov. uk/energy/statistics/publicationsim-brief/page17222.html