As a small business owner, it’s your job to keep a close eye on your budget. And if you’re like many businesses, the money you spend on energy can be huge!
So how do car garages reduce their energy bills? Two ways are to conduct an energy audit and switch energy suppliers. This can help you catch where you are spending way too much on your utility bill; visit this website to learn how your car garage can become more energy efficient.
Here are six quick ways that your car garage can do now to reduce its energy usage without breaking the bank.
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Replace Old Garage Doors
This might seem meaningless, but replacing your current garage door that leaks air can run up the cost of your energy bills. Buy a door that is insulated and seal all the gaps.
This could be done by removing some of the glass panels or using a weather-stripping material to cover the edges of the frame and seal it up tight so that no air can move in or out through holes in the frame. Check if your new garage door has been sealed properly, and if not, get someone to do it for you!
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Choose the Correct Lighting
Fluorescent LED lighting is a great choice for garages, as it uses less energy and lasts longer than incandescent light bulbs. Fluorescent lamps are cooler to the touch than incandescent, making them safer in an environment like a car garage with flammable materials.
Because fluorescent lights don’t get hot to the touch, you can use them in more places—under hoods or other equipment where high heat would be dangerous with conventional bulbs.
Fluorescent lamps also last five times longer than incandescent bulbs on average, reducing the frequency of maintenance and replacement work needed for your garage lights (a good thing if your mechanic doubles as a handyman).
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Change Your Heating Settings
Setting the temperature to a lower setting can reduce energy use by a whopping 25%. A programmable thermostat is an effective way to control the temperature in your garage. You can set it at different temperatures and by room, depending on what time of day it is and how long you plan on being away from your garage.
A timer works well for this purpose as well because it will turn off after a pre-determined amount of time passes, allowing heat to only be used when necessary or desired. It can also help with managing energy costs in garages since it allows you to set different temperatures at different times throughout the day and week.
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Turn Down the Temperature on Your Water Heater
If you’re not already doing this, it’s simple to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by turning down the temperature on your water heater. A lower setting will save money on your monthly energy bills while keeping the same temperature means less energy is to burn up in heating.
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Use Motion Sensor Lights
Use timers for lights that are on for long periods. A timer can be used to automatically turn lights on and off at different times of the day, which is especially helpful when you need to come home after dark after a long day of work or school.
Timers are available at hardware stores, and they’re easy to install yourself—just follow the instructions in your owner’s manual. If you’re not comfortable installing new electrical devices yourself, just call an electrician or handyman!
Motion sensor lights can be installed in rooms that are unoccupied for most of the day. It will automatically switch on and off when entering and exiting a room, thereby reducing costs.
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Turn Off Machines
This is a no-brainer, but it’s easy to forget to turn off the lights once you’ve left the room. Turn off lights when they’re not in use.
Turn off machines that are not in use. You may be tempted to leave your coffee maker on after brewing, or even if you don’t have a coffee maker, keep your computer on when you are not at your desk. But these things draw energy even when they aren’t actively being used!
Turn off machines that are not needed while you are working on another car or project. Instead, consider unplugging these items when not in use so they don’t waste electricity just sitting around doing anything!
Final Thoughts
With a few simple tips, you can reduce your energy consumption and save money. It’s important to remember that the more efficient you are with your energy use, the better off your business will be in the long run.