The days are getting shorter, the lights are going on and the heating is getting cranked up. To help, here are some energy saving tips.

With summer now firmly behind us and the days getting darker and colder, it’s that time of year when the heating gets turned up and the lights are on from mid-afternoon. But what effect does all of this have on energy bills?

Here, we explore some top energy savings tips for businesses this Christmas.

1. Christmas lights

First and foremost – Christmas lights! They look pretty and give the office some Christmas cheer, but how much are they costing? As with any lights, they should be tuned off when not in use – don’t leave them on overnight, as this wastes energy and is also a fire risk.

Secondly – where possible, switch to LED lights. According to the Energy Saving Trust, LED lights use 90 per cent less energy than incandescent lights, and if everyone made the switch we would save £13m during the 12 days of Christmas. In addition, as they are always cool to the touch, the represent a reduced fire risk.

2. Take your fill of fibre optics

When it comes to choosing a tree and other decorations, you can’t go far wrong with fibre optics.

Many operate using a single light bulb for the entire decoration. Light is transmitted from the bulb along the small fibres of the decoration, and you can find ones that change colour as well for some extra Christmas magic.

Fibre optic lights are cool to the touch but you must ensure the incandescent light at the base does not over-heat.

3. Watch where you put the tree

It’s important to try and keep as much heat in the office as possible – it’s no use having the heating on and the windows open.

Try not to block off sources of heat – keep large objects like Christmas trees and other bulky decorations away from the radiator to get warmth into the room more easily.

4. Don’t neglect tinsel and candles

If you want to be doubly sure that your Christmas decorations won’t cause your energy bill to skyrocket, choose ones which don’t require any power. Decorate with tinsel and candles to achieve a similar effect.

A word to the wise though – if you think it’s bad leaving fairly lights on overnight, consider how much worse it would be to leave a lit candle burning.

5. Unplug anything that uses unnecessary energy over the Christmas break

If an office is closed over the Christmas period, there’s not much point leaving printers and computers plugged in.

Take a moment to go around on the last day and make sure no energy is being unnecessarily drained – just make sure to set the heating to come on a few hours before the first day back, or you might be in for a freeze.

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