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Easy Ways Your Small Business Can Save This Summer

From the corner flower shop to the family-owned bakery in town that serves up your favorite cupcakes, small businesses across our communities have faced challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As capacity restrictions continue to lift and social distancing guidelines evolve, we want to reassure our small business customers that we are here to support you as we all begin to work toward a sense of normalcy again.

As you reopen your doors, add more tables and welcome more patrons into your business, we want to provide important energy saving tips that can help support you and your business by decreasing your energy use and your operating costs.

  1. Change your filter – Equipment that is working optimally uses less energy. Regularly check the air filter of your air conditioner. A clean air filter improves system efficiency, which leads to energy savings.
  2. Check your layout – The layout of your business can impact the temperature of your space and how hard your air conditioner is working to keep the space cool during warmer months. Remove furniture and other obstacles blocking ducts and fans, enabling cool air to circulate freely and make sure lamps, televisions or other heat sources are away from the thermostat. Heat from these sources may cause the air conditioner to run longer than it should. If your employees are currently working remotely, this is a great chance to change your layout and create a more energy efficient space.
  3. Avoid vampire energy – Also known as standby energy, vampire energy drains energy from your outlets when devices are not in use but still plugged in, increasing your energy usage. Make sure to unplug items such as coffee pots, phone chargers and computers when not in use. Power strips can make this an easy task at the end of the day.
  4. Program your thermostat – There is no need to be cooling your business to lower temperatures during long, summer days when customers or employees are not there. Even if your team’s hours vary, using programmable or smart thermostats to manage the temperature during “off” hours can make a big difference. If your hours have changed or employees are working remotely, make sure to update your thermostat accordingly.
  5. Use energy efficient light bulbs – Simply switching out incandescent light bulbs for \LEDs is a low cost and quick way to reduce electricity use.
  6. Think outside the building – Strategically planting trees provides shade on hot summer days and can help keep your business comfortable while reducing your cooling costs.
  7. Use energy efficient appliances – Before you buy or lease office electronics, check to see if they are ENERGYSTAR-rated. An ENERGYSTAR-rated appliance has been evaluated and deemed energy efficient, which can save you money and help you manage your small business energy costs in the long run.

Visit My Account for more customized tips based on your business or visit pepco.com/WaysToSave for more energy saving resources. We are committed to helping all our customers save money and energy as we continue to power on this summer.