John Johnson from iHelios explains how its heating and smart technology solutions can help businesses keep energy costs down.
With what seems like ever-soaring energy prices, businesses across all sectors will have to look to review their cost base. Large consumers of energy are very focused on their energy costs, and not forward predicting their requirements and costs has a seriously detrimental effect on their business. However, energy has been regarded as a marginal cost for many small enterprises and is often overlooked. Until now, these costs have been comparatively inexpensive. Even with the government action, the increased costs may have a devastating effect on their ability to trade.
Commercial buildings come in all shapes and sizes, of course – industrial, leisure, showrooms, shops, and offices – and during the colder months of the year, companies need to keep their facilities warm for customers and employees alike. However, the truth is that many heating systems are old, inefficient, and often warm up areas that are seldom used, which is no different from burning money. And how many offices or shops have you been into where they still have the old fluorescent strip lights, incandescent lights or worse, those super-hot halogen spotlights?
Smart tech to cut energy use
The cheapest way to reduce business costs is to discuss the situation with employees. Doing so will not only enlighten them about the issue, but you are sure also to get some good ideas and their buy-in to whatever changes need making.
Technology plays a significant part in everyday life. At iHelios, we provide low-cost energy solutions for businesses that are easily monitored through an app that can be downloaded on multiple devices and controlled remotely, giving complete control and the ability to review energy consumption regularly.
iHelios systems do not run constantly like standard heating systems, leading to a considerable reduction in energy consumption for businesses. The system automatically turns off periodically to keep at the exact required temperature, so it is only running for around a third of the time it is in use.
The iHelios system is also decentralised, meaning the heating system in every business area operates independently. Traditional systems such as gas are centralised, so the heating is everywhere throughout the premises, so even if you have radiators turned off, you are still wasting energy.
On top of the heating system being controlled independently throughout the premises, businesses can also monitor light use using smart lights. Smart lights can also be programmed to turn off automatically when not in use. They are cheap and straightforward to install, simply replacing existing light switches without the need to replace the wiring or the lighting unit.
Smart plug sockets can also make sure that everything is switched off every night and a range of sensors can be installed to improve the working environment and further reduce energy consumption.
Depending on the facility, the above can be installed for less than £200 and could save a company thousands.
And if a business also installs solar panels and battery storage, in that case running iHelios can make extra savings. Dramatically reducing bills means a return on investment from installed panels can be reached in a couple of years.
Housing solution
Danny Gough, founder of the charity Freshstart Hull and My pad Accommodation, and the Cchairman of Hull Landlord Association, installed iHelios eco-heating after looking for alternative solutions to reduce his energy consumption back in 2020. He said:
We trialled the iHelios energy in our offices and found it reduced our energy bills by 35%. So we started putting the iHelios system in our properties in 2020. These properties provide accommodation for our company Freshstart Hull which houses homeless people. One of the issues we found was that the old Victorian houses, which are generally fitted with panel heaters, are incredibly inefficient at keeping in heat, so the energy costs are high. Our clients, who are all on a very low income, were struggling with the costs. So we removed all the old heaters and started adding in the iHelios system, which made a massive difference. So, for clients who were finding they were spending £10 a day on heating, we managed to reduce their costs to £30 a week. Changing our systems was of massive benefit to our tenants, and in the private rental sector, we are finding more and more people are purposely seeking out energy-efficient properties.
For more information visit iheliosliving.co.uk
