With the cost of electricity rising, you may be looking for ways to reduce your energy usage in your commercial premises. Here are three ways you can optimise your business's power usage.

Daylight Harvesting Mechanisms

Daylight harvesting technology uses a photocell to detect the ambient daylight levels in an area. As the amount of daylight rises or falls, a daylight harvesting mechanism will adjust the electric lights within your commercial premises, so that the room stays perfectly lit. For example, a daylight harvesting system can gradually dim the lights in your office as the sunlight increases in intensity, and once the amount of sunlight begins to wane, the system will gradually increase the brightness of the electric lights in your office to ensure that optimum lighting levels are maintained. This will help you to save money by cutting the amount of electricity you use.

Occupancy Sensors

Occupancy sensors are designed to detect when a person is within a certain area of your commercial premises. When the sensor detects someone, it triggers the power to the light source to illuminate the area. When the sensor detects that the person has left the area, the light will stay on for a short time and then the light will be turned off. There are two types of occupancy sensors, infra-red sensors which use an infra-red light to detect movement and ultrasonic sensors which detect the sound and vibrations created by a person's feet.

LED Lights

LED lights have many advantages over traditional light bulbs. They provide a uniform light level across your commercial unit, and they do not contain any harmful substances which could place your staff or customers at risk. LEDs also consume much less power when compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs, so you will see we able to further reduce your energy bills.

Timing Switches

A timing switch will allow you to programme the lights and other electrical systems within your commercial premises so that they shut down or switch off at night and turn themselves back on before you staff arrive in the morning. This will help to save you money by preventing unnecessary energy usage when the building is not in use.

By taking these steps, you can optimise your energy usage and save both the environment and money. If you are interested in installing any of these devices, you should contact a commercial electrician for further advice.