Does My Business Need to Use Smart Meters? - By: Kim d

Quite a lot of material has been written online about how useful smart meters can be for the individual trying to cut fuel consumption at home; but do you need to start using smart meters at work as well as at home?

The simple answer is yes. For all the same reasons that you would want to have smart meters installed in your home, the same benefits apply to a business. Energy costs are usually the largest overheads businesses have to deal with after staffing costs. With smart meters you can start to address some of the problems of fuel inefficiency and cut back on the amount of energy used by the company.

In the US, energy company Novar installed smart meters at Staples’ California stores. “Having another set of eyes and ears paying attention to energy use makes a big difference,” explained energy manager Bob W. Valair. As a result of installing the smart meters, Staples was able to monitor exact how much gas and electricity they were using at peak times throughout the day.

As a result of the smart meters, Staples adjusted their working practices, installing an automated lighting system which turned off lights when they weren’t necessary and reducing heating bills through turning down the thermostats in its stores. The California stores reduced their energy bills by 15 per cent, which meant the expenditure paid for installing new energy efficient measures was made back within two years.

Smart meters can make even more of a difference in the workplace than they can at home, as lights in particular tend to get left on for longer in offices, even when they aren’t needed. Smart meters can highlight in real time exactly how much energy is being consumed and how much that energy is costing the company.

Smart meters also completely remove the need for billing estimates as utility companies will only charge you for the energy you use according to your accurate digital meter reading. With so much to benefit from smart meters, your company needs to seize the moment and get them installed as soon as possible in order to start making huge savings on your energy bills.

About the Author

Kim has written various articles about smart meters and has researched into their benefits. She also enjoys writing various other topics.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Kim-d/50835

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