You’ve decided to make your office more energy efficient - but where do you start? With so many energy-saving products on the market, it’s hard to know where to begin.

An audit of the energy usage in your workplace is a great first step. This will help you assess where your business uses (and wastes) gas and electricity, and create the foundation of your action plan to become more energy efficient. While you can pay for a professional audit, these can be costly, and a DIY version can be just as effective for SMEs and start-ups. In this guide, we outline the three key steps to conducting a DIY energy audit.

1. Gather data on your energy usage

Start by collecting information on your energy usage, ideally breaking this down by area (e.g., Heating, Ventilation, and Cooling (HVAC) systems, lighting, appliances, etc.). Your utility bills will provide a baseline for your energy consumption; if you don’t have them to hand, your energy supplier will be able to provide them upon request. 

Better still, if you have a smart meter in your office, this can provide a detailed breakdown of usage by area. If you don’t have a smart meter, consider using a free online energy calculator to help you estimate the usage of each system. 

Energy usage in the workplace varies considerably throughout the year for many reasons, including the weather and holiday closures, so consider 12 months' worth of bills to get a more complete idea of your power consumption.

2. Conduct a site inspection

A site inspection involves walking around your premises, inside and out, to check how various systems and appliances are operating. It’s also a good opportunity for you to observe employee behaviour to assess whether any training or education would be beneficial. Before you start, ensure you identify any potential risks, follow appropriate safety procedures, and wear protective clothing if needed.

Your staff may use energy differently throughout the day, so consider whether it would be beneficial to conduct the same walk-through at various times to capture an accurate picture of employee energy use.

You’ll need to note down observations and opportunities, costing up potential improvements by searching online or gathering supplier quotes for each key area of the office, including:

• HVAC systems
• Lighting
• Office equipment and kitchen appliances
• Windows, doors, and other openings
• Insulation

To make this easier, British Energy Scotland has provided a free checklist to help you ask pertinent questions specific to each area of the workplace.

3. Make an action plan

Now you’ve gathered all your data, it’s time to make a plan. Your current expenditure from step one, paired with the potential opportunities identified in step two should help you to forecast how much energy you could save in each area of your office. 

By identifying opportunities, alongside a breakdown of how much time, effort and investment it would cost to implement these energy-saving ideas, you’ll be able to split your action plan into three areas.

• Quick wins: Actions that are simple, quick and inexpensive to fix will save you money from day one, and encourage early support for your action plan. Examples include swapping incandescent bulbs with LEDs, employing smart power strips to prevent phantom loads, and educating employees on smarter energy usage.
• Medium-term: Areas of improvement that may require more thought, or investment, but will yield bigger energy savings in the long run. Examples include installing smart thermostats, motion sensors, and upgrading to energy-efficient kitchen appliances.
• Long-term: Improvements that attract significant investment, and will likely require a business case to justify the expenditure. Examples include replacing drafty windows, or swapping old HVAC systems with energy efficient ones.

Now you’ve conducted your workplace energy audit, you’re well on your way to creating an energy efficient office and lowering both your carbon footprint, and your operational overheads. Regularly repeating the audit (for instance on a yearly basis) will ensure your energy efficiency doesn’t drop over time.

Wondering what your next step is? Read our four-step guide to an energy efficient office here.