There are many ways to save money within a business. However, with many of these, trimming the amount you spend will produce negative effects, and therefore if you don’t want to cut corners and in turn lose productivity or quality, it is wise to understand the best ways to save money that won’t directly affect how competitive your business is.

The easiest way to cut costs in the long run is to look at ways of reducing your overheads. The main one that can be reduced without effecting efficiency in any way is the cost of energy bills. Furthermore, there are many ways to do this. The bonus of reducing energy bills is that you will also be protecting the environment at the same time – whilst this is undoubtedly going to give you a warm glow inside (maybe? no?), whether it is in your best moral interests or not, it is likely to be in the company’s best interests, allowing you to attract those who want to give their custom to ethical businesses.

So how do you go about cutting your energy bills? Well, firstly, there is insulation. Very simple additions can make a huge difference to how much your company spends on energy. On top of this, ensuring that your doors automatically close upon entry (but can be kept open in summer to avoid aggressive air conditioning being needed) will undoubtedly help to reduce costs.

Businesses can also look to compare the market on energy providers. Very few businesses actively look at the best deals around once they have chosen to use a specific provider, but since costs are changing all the time, the best provider can quickly become the worst.

Shop lighting can also make a big difference too. Whether you choose to use LED lighting or fluorescent bulbs in your internal and architectural lighting, finding a low-energy solution is going to make a great deal of difference to how much your lighting bills come to. Even the design of your shop lighting can make a big difference and by consulting the right supplier you may well find that you can use fewer fixtures to achieve the same result.

Architectural lighting is not the only way that the exterior can help you save money. For those looking for long-term savings over short term solutions, if your company has the capital, solar power might also be a worthwhile solution. Not only will this save money in the long run, eventually it could even turn into an extra source of revenue, as the excess electric can be sold back to power companies. This way, not only are you advertising your green credentials extremely well, but you are also securing a great potential revenue stream for the future, one that could be extremely high if energy prices continue to rise as predicted.

So if you want to save money for your company, the first and most ethical place to start is your energy bills. You may well be surprised at how simple it is to save a great deal of money, and how many extra benefits you may get at the very same time.