Ways To Reduce Your Store's Power Usage

The high cost of providing electricity to a retail store can place a financial burden on the company as a whole. Those who are new to the retail industry might be surprised to learn just how much energy a typical store goes through on a monthly basis. Depending on the size and scope of your store, you could easily see a monthly power bill that's over a thousand dollars. Instead of throwing your hard-earned profits away on monthly power bills, you should try to reduce electricity usage in your store. There are several different techniques that can yield significant reductions in your power usage and ultimately your power bill.

Install Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

Many store owners are drawn to using incandescent light bulbs simply because they are the least expensive. With an average cost of less than a buck, you can illuminate your store without spending an arm and a leg on light bulbs; however, incandescent bulbs are somewhat misleading. While they may cost less than other types of bulbs, they use far more energy, contributing to your sky-high monthly power bill. If you wish to reduce your store's power usage, you should consider installing energy-efficient light bulbs instead of incandescent.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) cost about 2-3 times more than incandescent bulbs, but they also last about 9-10 times as long. While a traditional incandescent bulb will last about 1,200 hours, CFL bulbs will last 10,000+ hours. In addition, they also use about a third of the energy that's used by incandescent bulbs. CFL bulbs are a great all-around choice that will yield huge savings in your store's power bill.

Energy-Efficient Appliances

Does you store sell frozen or chilled grocery products? If so, installing energy-efficient appliances would likely reduce your store's power usage. It's no secret that some of the older model freezers are power-hungry monsters that eat through electricity. Switching them out for some of the newer, more energy-efficient models could dramatically lower your store's power bill.

Another reason why you should install energy-efficient appliances in your store is because of the tax breaks offered. In an effort to encourage business owners to use less power, the government is offering tax incentives when you purchase energy-efficient appliances. These incentives are nice bonuses that store owners can take advantage of in addition to their reduced monthly power bills.