And just like that, the holidays are upon us!
December means the weather is getting frightful, but we know why you energy managers are really starting to sweat: this is the special time of year when your clients’ energy costs typically skyrocket through the ROOF.
Shops are open later and longer, energy-intensive lights are decking WAY too many halls and nobody thinks twice about jacking up the heating just one more degree (who wants to put on that hideous Christmas jumper from Aunt Mabel anyway?!).
With electricity prices hitting record highs in the UK and gas prices on the rise, generating energy savings for your clients during the holiday season can be a particularly tricky challenge for energy management professionals. For instance, the Carbon Trust estimates that UK businesses lose around £9 million over the festive period by failing to turn lights and equipment off.
“Retailers are almost always the most difficult to manage, as they really tend to overdo it with the festive lights,” says Stuart Malone, an energy manager based in Bristol. “It’s always a shock in the New Year when their energy bill comes in!”
But what if you could transform those energy spending worries into excitement about how much you’ll save this holiday season – for free? And get a special Christmas gift along with it? Read on, we can hardly wait to tell you…
Energy Grader: Your Holiday Energy Saver
For those of you that haven’t met yet
, Energy Grader is a free online tool that simplifies the process of calculating the energy savings potential of any building. It’s completely free for anyone to use – and all you need is a single energy bill in PDF format for Energy Grader to work its algorithmic magic.
The result: a beautiful Energy Grader report in PDF format containing your building’s savings potential, expressed in cost savings as a percentage of your building’s efficiency.
You also get your personalised electricity price benchmark so you can instantly understand whether you are getting the best price for your energy compared to your sector’s average.
Remember our energy manager friend Stuart in Bristol? After using Energy Grader, he discovered that he could save his retail clients around 26% on their energy bills. “That translates to an estimated cost savings of about £11,000 per year for all of them combined,” says Stuart. “It’s much better to go to them with this exciting savings potential news now, than with a devastating energy bill in January!”
Another Energy Grader user, Fiona McMillan, found out that she was paying a much higher price for her office’s energy than she should have been. “I was shocked at first – could this be right? But after calling a few other providers I realised there was indeed a significant price difference,” said Fiona. “Thanks to Energy Grader, I’m switching to a cheaper provider to get that next bill down!”
Energy Grader Giveaway: Just in Time!
Now here’s the Christmas kicker: at the end of December, we’re giving away 2 Amazon Gift Cards worth €50 each for you to spend on the energy management gift of your dreams (or a much nicer jumper).
To enter the free draw, all you have to do is submit an Energy Grader Report during the month of December. The winners will be selected randomly and notified by email. If you have already done an Energy Grader report this year, no worries! Just use Energy Grader for a new building to participate in the December Giveaway.
Ready to get started? Give it a go, and good luck!
