In adverse business environments, like iffy post-pandemic economies, inflationary cycles, and market uncertainty, business owners have to find ways to keep expenses to a minimum. One of the first-line strategies for many entrepreneurs and owners of large companies is to keep utility and fuel costs as low as possible. It’s not new problem, by any means. Fifty years ago, during the global energy crisis, supplies of fossil fuels were as historic lows due to OPEC policies and several other factors. Since then, the world economy has gone through several more short and long periods of fuel rationing, cost cutting, and financial austerity for one reason or another.
In the post-COVID era, some companies feel lucky to have survived government lockdown mandates. Now, they want to be sure to get back on their financial feet and stay there. One of the ways organizations are stepping back into full-scale operations is through smart use of resources like vehicle fuel, electricity, and natural gas. Here are approaches that can work for organizations that makes the decision to cut back on unnecessary resource usage.
Controlling Fuel Costs with Fleet Management
In a way, you’re lucky if your company uses a vehicle fleet for delivery and transport. Because when you rely on cars, trucks, and vans to move product from point A to point B, you can utilize systems like a GPS fleet tracking platform to monitor fuel usage and idle time, which is one of the best ways to cut down on fuel usage. After that, it’s much easier to focus on growing your business by adding new customers and products. If you do operate a fleet, you already know how large fuel expenses is on a typical monthly budget. Keeping idle time to a minimum and making certain that every route is accurately followed can slice a significant amount off recurring energy costs.
Solar Systems
Solar energy systems for businesses have taken a while to catch on, but it’s becoming much more common to spot solar cell parking roofs, small systems on the top of company buildings, and large, ground-based arrays at some corporate headquarters. Up-front expenses can be considerable but are often allayed by federal and state tax breaks like credits and deductions. Once in place, solar panels generate clean and inexpensive energy that can help organizations of any size keep monthly utility costs down.
Smart HVAC Programs
The newer line of smart HVAC systems, like solar energy systems, can come with an initial expense that’s higher than average. But for companies that are willing to make the investment, monthly savings on utility bills can pay for these high-end HVAC arrangements within a few years. In the meantime, monthly energy expenses go down.
Flexible Telecommuting Policies
One of the profound changes that the recent global pandemic created was a corporate transition to widespread telecommuting, or workers doing their jobs from home. When employees don’t have to drive to their jobs every day, the total amount of fuel savings can be enormous. Even though the savings don’t directly benefit the employer, telecommuting is still an overall win because it does reduce societal reliance on gasoline.
