How to Engage Your Employees in Energy Saving

Since you have found this article, you are most likely looking to save some money by reducing the energy consumption of your business - good for you, business energy deals can be costly. While it is always worth looking into business energy comparison to see if you can get a better deal for less, finding any other means of saving energy is always a wise idea, freeing up funds which can be redirected to the smooth running of your business. 

 

However, in order to most effectively save energy and reduce your costs, you will need to ensure the willing cooperation of your employees. This article outlines some of the ways you can encourage your employees to take part in your energy reduction scheme - saving both money, and the planet.

Once you have decided to initiate an energy-saving scheme, the first thing you should do is document your plans for the scheme, outlining your aims and how you will accomplish them. This will officiate your plans, and can additionally serve distribution purposes. You can include tips of how best to save energy, and print out your plans as a flyer-like one-sheeter to display around the workplace. 

 

Alternatively, you may wish to create an online resource, such as a website or portal, perhaps with interactive features to further engage your employees. This option may be preferable due to its potential for adaptability - you will be able to edit it regularly to give employees updates on the success of the scheme, give tips and advise, and perhaps spotlight those who have made the most difference. It up to you to decide whether paper or online resources will work best for your business - just make sure that you have something tangible to represent your new scheme, as this will definitely maximise results.

 

Before taking your plans to your employees, you might also want to collect and review your current energy consumption metrics. This will allow you to create your goals in line with your usage patterns, and might also prove useful for a satisfying ‘before’ and ‘after’ update later down the line.

One of the first things you might want to do to involve your employees in the scheme is to empower them. Making an individual an ‘energy champion’ or encouraging employees to become part of the program’s leadership team should do wonders for employee participation. The leadership team can also be responsible for regular meetings, attended by all the other employees, which review the business energy saving drive. You may also wish to seek out an employee willing to give their artistic services, designing posters for display around your workplace.

 

A popular technique for motivating employees is making your goal into a game. Dividing the workplace up by floor or department should inspire friendly competition and make the whole effort a lot more exciting. 

Incentivising employees is guaranteed to maximise your results. Incorporating a rewards system into any competition you set up is sure to make a difference. You could offer rewards such as cash bonuses, gift cards, free lunches. However, always be careful and realistic. You should never promise bonuses if you cannot follow through, and make sure that the money you are spending on rewards does not offset the money you have saved by cutting down on energy usage!