If you manage a retail business, you’ll know cutting costs is crucial right now. As the financial climate makes things tougher for retailers, businesses are looking for different ways to slash their spending.
During the summer, sustainability becomes even more of a priority too, as climate change sees temperatures reach all-time highs. This means every business has an increased responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint.
A 2020 report from Green Alliance found that commercial buildings were wasting £60m in avoidable energy bills and, with the importance of saving money and energy continuing to increase since, the need to find ways to improve this situation is more pressing than ever.
Whether your work environment is a high street store, or at a larger retail park, a department store or a petrol station shop, there are ways you can reduce your spending and your impact on the environment.
But rather than making drastic changes to key aspects of your business, there may be a more straightforward solution.
Businesses are often unaware of the energy they’re wasting in the summer period, so here we’re looking at how retail facilities waste energy over the summer and sharing some simple tips to cut costs and improve sustainability – without harming your customers’ experience.
Leaving lights turned on
This may seem like a simple suggestion and, to some businesses, it will be a given. But the fact remains that many of us forget to switch off lights when leaving an area.
At times when all your staff are on the shop floor, it’s unnecessary to have lights on in stock rooms, kitchens, staff rooms or offices.
Another tip:
Although they have been phased out, incandescent bulbs are also incredibly inefficient and emit additional heat. If you still have any of these, it’s smart to switch to LED lighting where possible.
Inefficient use of air conditioning
In the summer months, retail environments are often at their busiest, especially in cities and tourist destinations. The last thing customers and shop staff want is to feel overheated.
Many retail facilities leave their entrances open for passing foot traffic which, in the summer, lets more hot air in and requires your air conditioning unit to work harder to cool your building.
So how can retailers make smarter, more sustainable decisions – and still attract customers?
Firstly, it’s important to remember to turn off HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) units when they’re not being used, as continuous use of air conditioning can be costly.
Using whatever natural airflow you can, by leaving windows and doors open during mornings and evenings, is a safer, more sustainable choice.
Not shading strategically
If you work in an area near a window or opening during the summer, you may feel overheated at times.
But strategically shading your workspace is a simple way to save a lot of time and energy.
You could install shutters or blinds or use sun filter window films if the heat is still too much.
But what’s the best option?
In this article, we’ve outlined some of the most common ways retail businesses waste energy. Plus, we’ve shared some optimal ways to solve these problems.
While these are some of the most common solutions, there’s an all-in-one solution to mitigate energy loss in the summer – while also cutting your expenses.
During hotter periods, Enershield Air Barriers ll keep your cool, conditioned air inside, the hot air outside, and stop the ingress of insects, odours and other contaminants.
Part of the Enershield Air Barriers range, Microshield and Comfortshield have been developed to meet your retail environment’s needs.
These Air Barriers are ideal for a wide variety of retail facilities, such as:
- High street shops
- Department stores
- Shopping centres and retail parks
- Grocery and convenience stores
- Petrol station stores
As previously mentioned, keeping your doors open may be required to attract passing trade – and summer is often the best opportunity to do so. But an Enershield Air Barrier can reduce the loss of cool air and prevent hot air from enteringby creating an up to 90% seal.
So not only will an Enershield Air Barrier help your building be more sustainable; it will also keep your staff and customers more comfortable in your retail environment and could help increase shopper dwell time.
We also know customers are your priority. A poor customer experience can be devastating to your conversions and damage the reputation of your business. That’s why Enershield Air Barriers have a compact, economical and low-profile design, which is also quiet and efficient, so you don’t have to worry about it disrupting your customers’ shopping experience.
If you want to find out more about how Retail Air Barriers can benefit your business, read our handy PDF guide.
Want to know more about how Retail Enershield Air Barriers can benefit your business? Get in touch with us today by emailing enquiries@enershield.com.
