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When you move into a new business premises, you expect things like gas, water, and electricity to work. However, sometimes they can let you down with things like high bills, frequent disruptions, and unreliable supply.
If this sounds like you and you run an office, a retail space, or a warehouse, then this guide is here to help. We take a look at why your business premises utilities might be letting you down and what you can do about it.
Skyrocketing Rates and Costs
One of the most common issues that many business owners face is skyrocketing rates and costs. Often, the price of utilities outpaces inflation due to the price of energy. The good news is that aging grid infrastructure can be upgraded with proper trenching. You can also counter surging demand from data centres and other electrified grid-scale utilities by generating more power on-site. This enables you to avoid some of the peak pricing that can occur when these systems go online or have to work overtime.
Unfortunately, businesses often face commercial rates which are significantly higher than residential ones. They also pay time-of-use pricing, which penalizes high consumption when hours are busy. So, if this sounds like you, then you might be able to shift your energy-intensive operations to the night time.
Unreliable Supply and Frequent Downtime
Another issue that a lot of businesses face is unreliable supply. Many are operating in areas with ageing building infrastructure and outdated wiring. Sometimes overloaded circuits can literally burn out, causing power cuts and fires. External utility providers may not also be maintaining nearby transformers and grids properly. This means that utilities can go down during severe weather. When this happens, it leads to thousands of hours of lost productivity and reduces the value of your commercial lease. You can avoid this problem by making your internal systems more robust. Even investing in something as simple as a diesel generator can have a profound effect long-term, especially if it can kick in immediately after there is a power cut.
Inefficient Premises Setup
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Your premises themselves can also be inefficiently set up, for example you might have the wrong type of HVAC system or your lighting could be old, insulation might not work properly or you could have leaky water systems, even some suboptimal meter setups can be a problem for a lot of enterprises. If your meter is old it might not be able to properly measure or track how much energy you’re using, so even if you implement energy and cost-saving measures it may not show up in your bills.
If you’re in this situation, professionals usually recommend conducting an audit of your premises. You can get experts over to see where the problem lies and what you can do to fix it.
Billing Errors
Finally, related to the last problem, you might have billing errors at your premises. This can lead to inflated prices and inconsistent metering, which makes it difficult to measure whether you are progressing. Sometimes, lease terms pass all the outgoings to you, so you may need to invest yourself in dealing with these problems. Even so, once you have more stable usage, you can plan better.
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