• Avoid opening doors and windows when the heating is on, because the thermostat will sense a change in temperature and fire more heat
• Obtain feedback from staff – encourage them to report draughts, or if they are too cold or too hot. This will minimise the amount of people who use additional small heaters or open windows to regulate the temperature.
• Keep temperatures on minimum settings for comfort:
  • Libraries and courtrooms: 19-21°C
  • Sedentary work spaces like offices: 21-23°C
  • Unoccupied areas: 10-12°C
• Staff will usually dress appropriately for the weather – account for this when setting the temperature in the workspace. Avoid turning the heat on too high or they might open the windows and cause heat loss.
• Make sure furniture doesn’t obstruct radiators and fans as the space won’t heat evenly.
• A temperature reduction of 10°C is sufficient during the night for most buildings.
• Reducing the temperature by 1°C can save enough energy to print over 40 million sheets of A4 paper. Turn the heating down by 2°C could save you £140 on a £1,000 bill.

MYTH: Turning the thermostat to maximum warms up a space faster. TRUTH: No, it just overheats.

• Electrical equipment can account for up to 20% of total energy costs.
• Encourage all staff to turn off equipment at the end of the day. This saves energy costs, but also lowers cooling costs and extends the lifespan of the equipment. A single computer left on 24 hours a day costs £45 per year. With turn-off and standby features enabled you could reduce it to £10.
• Place heat-emitting equipment like printers in a cooler area of the office (e.g. north side of the building) with good ventilation. Clean parts and maintain regularly for optimum efficiency.
• A red light on a monitor or any other appliance will usually show that it’s in standby; each of those red lights will cost about £1 a year, which adds up.
• A lower use of paper leads to more efficient workspace, less printing, less storage and less damage to the environment (through overuse of paper and incorrect recycling).

Raising awareness with your staff is an important step; implementing simple practices can reduce your bill by as much as 25%. Advise them to:

• Not switch on appliances too soon
• Avoid using kitchen equipment to warm the space
• Switch off cooking appliances immediately after use
• Avoid overfilling saucepans and kettles
• Use lids, keep refrigeration unit doors closed and defrost regularly
• Switch off lights and extraction fans when not in use
• Make sure refrigeration units are well ventilated and not stored against the wall
• It's more efficient to run a dishwasher on an eco-mode that it is to wash the same load of dishes by hand.

• If you overheat through overusing lighting and office equipment, the ventilation has to work harder in turn to maintain the temperature, which uses more energy.
• Take advantage of natural ventilation and free cooling with doors and windows and halve costs. Make sure you don’t do it in such a way that it poses a risk to your business or staff.
• Align cooling times with working hours and occupancy, so you don’t overcool out of hours.
• Plan for an outside temperature range when neither heating, nor cooling, are on, for example between 19-24°C.

MYTH: Leaving air conditioning on overnight reduces energy costs as the system stays at the required temperature. TRUTH: It only needs a fraction of power to maintain the temperature and it naturally cools during the night anyway.

• Can account for up to 20% of total energy costs in this sector, but basic maintenance can reduce costs by 15% and regular maintenance by 30%.
• The first step is to have a switch off policy. Involve your staff in discussing the best ways to achieve this; they will appreciate being consulted and could help you come up with creative ideas.
• Use simple light switch stickers so everyone feels confident that they are turning off the right light! The Carbon Trust website also has printable posters and labels you can use.
• Keep windows, skylights and light fittings clean to let through as much natural light as possible.

• Check the building for damp once a year before winter and look for issues like faulty gutters or split downpipes.

• Clean and replace filters with the recommended regularity from the manufacturer.
• Make sure you get boilers serviced as regular maintenance could save up to 10% on costs.

• Make sure you review the performance of your ventilation and air circulation systems. If you’re not getting the desired results, there might be a fault with certain parts that you could easily replace. A system that is well maintained every year could lead to a 60% increase in efficiency.

• Consider installing plug-in timers which you can find for under £10 online or in a DYI store. You can use them to automatically cut the power at switches outside of working hours. Make your staff aware in case they are working late.
• A red light on a monitor or any other appliance will usually show that it’s in standby and every of those red lights will cost about £1 a year, which adds up.
• When buying new equipment, account for energy efficiency ratings not just the initial cost. Buy equipment rated at least A+.

DID YOU KNOW? Laptops are more energy efficient than desktop computers and allow your staff to be more mobile. For example, they could take notes or share presentations on a laptop rather than use the printer when they go into a meeting.

• Use blinds that redirect daylight to the ceiling or the wall rather than block it altogether and open blinds when there is no glare.
• Use timers to match working hours and/or occupancy of the space so lighting is switched on and off automatically.
• Occupancy sensors in toilets or less used areas save 30% to 50% on lighting costs, while daylight sensors turn artificial light off when there is enough daylight.
• Install sensors that dim the light rather than switching it off completely.
• The amount of light necessary in offices is only 8 watts, but generally 30 watts is used.
• Replace conventional bulbs with CFL (Compact fluorescent lightbulbs) – they last 8x longer and use 80% less energy. What’s more, LEDs could give you 30,000-50,000 hours of use.

• Insulate to minimise heat loss. You could get a payback in the first few months by insulating pipes, boilers and tanks.
• Upgrade your heating controls. For example, use a compensator which works based on external weather to regulate the temperature. Or use an optimum start controller which optimises heating based on the time it takes to reach desired temperature. These two devices will give you a return on investment in about 2 years.
• Create zoned areas with different thermostats and different default settings.

• Heat loss in a building is 9% through walls, 8% through floor, 22% through roof, 26% through windows, 35% through ventilation and air circulation. Investing in better insulation can lower these costs, as well as increase the value of the buildings. Did you know that insulating pipework can reduce energy losses by 70%?
• An insulation of 100-150mm of glass fibre could reduce energy loss by up to 90% in lofts.
• Improve glazing. The most efficient is triple glazing, or you can also coat windows for insulation.
• When doing refurbishment plan for draught lobbies at entrances. These have two sets of doors where one is closed when the other one is opened. Automate doors where possible to reduce heat loss.

• Buy energy rated A+ equipment, preferably with built-in sensors that automatically switch off when not in use.
• Buy ovens with large double-glazing viewing to prevent doors being opened too often, which can lead to heat loss.
• Consider heat recovery from the kitchen to be used for heating water. The Carbon Trust has a guide that can help you understand how it works.