You may have heard about the potential for saving money and reducing your carbon footprint by using renewable energy sources. But what about at the warehouse level? Can you save money on your energy bill by making relatively simple changes to how you run your warehouse operations? In this article, we’ll give you a few ideas on how to reduce energy usage without compromising quality or productivity.
Energy Efficiency in the Warehouse
You may not realise it, but your warehouse is likely the largest energy user in your business. Depending on your business type, the warehouse might account for up to 50% of your total energy consumption and 30% of your company's CO2 emissions. That's why it's important to understand how you can reduce energy usage and ensure that every dollar spent on electricity gets returned in productivity.
Choose energy-efficient equipment
- When shopping for new warehouse equipment, it's important to choose equipment with a high Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER).
- The EER is the number of British Thermal Units (BTUs) per hour that your unit can produce over a year divided by the amount of energy input required during its operation.
- For example, a unit with an EER rating of 8 is expected to use one-eighth as much electricity as other similar units in order to do the same job.
- The higher the EER rating on your unit, the more efficient it will be at producing heat and cold—and thus, less of an investment burden on your company!
Use custom software for scheduling
Custom software is a must-have for any warehouse operation. Ensure the software:
- Has a user interface that is easy to navigate
- Is able to handle multiple locations and warehouses
- Is able to handle different types of products (such as apparel or food), so you don't need multiple systems for each type of product.
Insulate
- Insulating a warehouse contributes substantially to temperature control.
- It helps keep heat inside and lowers energy usage and costs.
- Seal up cracks around windows and doors, install insulation in walls and floors and add a second layer of drywall over an existing one.
- If you have pipes that run through an unheated space (like a warehouse), wrap them in foam insulation to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer.
Upgrade equipment to more efficient models
- Consider upgrading from older-generation models if your warehouse uses forklifts to transport goods around the facility.
- Older models use more fuel and emit noxious fumes and pollutants into the air and environment,
- New upgraded equipment consumes less energy while still effectively completing jobs.
Lighting is key
If your warehouse is using artificial lighting, it's time to be more efficient. You can reduce energy usage by:
- Using efficient lighting. Energy-efficient bulbs last longer and use less electricity than incandescent bulbs.
- Using motion detectors that turn off lights when they are not needed.
- Using light sensors automatically adjusts the amount of light in rooms to match the amount needed or wanted at a given time.
Reduce non-business hours
- Shut down machines during non-business hours.
- Close doors and windows when not in use.
Invest in a better HVAC system
- Investing in a heat recovery system can also reduce your energy usage.
- This is a device that captures the heat from exhaust air and transfers it to incoming fresh air.
- Heat recovery systems are particularly effective for warehouses because they make use of the warm, humid air that's usually released into the atmosphere when you're running fans at full blast.
- A properly installed heat recovery system will save you up to 70% on heating costs, so it's definitely worth looking into if your warehouse has large ventilation fans. It should pay for itself within five years!
Conclusion
A warehouse is a place of business, but it can also be a source of energy usage. The first and most obvious benefit of reducing energy usage is saving money. Energy costs are a huge part of any business's operating expenses, so any way you can reduce them means more money in your pocket. In addition to the direct savings from lower bills, there are indirect savings that can add up as well—from employee productivity and retention to customer loyalty. You can reduce energy costs significantly and still run your business smoothly.