Published
December 13, 2024
The UK’s energy market has a tendency to be unpredictable and volatile which raises cost concerns for many businesses. This is why, nowadays, so many are looking into their energy consumption to see how they can reduce it and make sure they’re operating as efficiently as possible.
One solution which many businesses are turning to is alternative sources of power such as renewable energy. There are many benefits to switching to solar energy including having more control of utility bills and energy consumption.
Let’s take a look at how much energy some UK industries use, what factors impact this and how businesses can reduce this.
Average Energy Consumption for Different UK Industries
| Industry | Electricity (kWh) | Gas (kWh) | Total (kWh) |
| Food Manufacturing | 25,682 | 16,247 | 23,166 |
| Food & Beverage Services | 17,330 | 35,471 | 22,865 |
| Beverage Manufacturing | 16,199 | N/A | 16,199 |
| Metal manufacturing | 13,743 | 14,054 | 13,818 |
| Retail Trading (excluding cars and motorcycles) | 11,001 | 18,798 | 12,459 |
| Architectural & Engineering Services | 10,118 | 15,300 | 11,464 |
| Warehouse and transport | 8,829 | 20,631 | 10,675 |
| Landscaping and building servicing | 8,628 | 17,537 | 10,499 |
| Specialised Construction Services | 8,672 | 14,265 | 9,894 |
| Waste management | 4,788 | 7,658 | 5,744 |
Source: https://bionic.co.uk/business-energy/guides/average-energy-usage-for-businesses/
As you can see, the manufacturing industry has the highest energy consumption. Other facilities that operate heavy machinery like architectural and engineering, warehouse and transport, and specialised construction understandably use high amounts of energy on a monthly basis too.
If you see your industry within this table and would like to reduce your energy usage and costs, get in touch with Noble Green Energy to discuss our solar energy solutions.
What Factors Impact Business Energy Usage?
The main factors that influence how much energy businesses use are the size of the business and its facilities as well as how it specifically uses energy.
The general rule of thumb is the bigger the business, the more energy it will use. The larger the facility, the more energy will be used for heating, lighting, day-to-day devices; longer working hours will also impact these different factors too.
Of course, the equipment used daily will have an impact on energy usage too. Some machinery is more energy efficient than others, and some businesses may even have some energy efficiency systems in place which will reduce energy usage. However, the bigger the business, the more equipment is likely to be used which will ultimately consume more energy.
How to Reduce Business Energy Usage
First and foremost, it’s important for businesses in any industry to identify and understand their energy usage in order for them to try and reduce it. By carrying out an energy audit and getting in touch with your provider, you will be able to recognise how much power your business is using and how much this is costing you.
Once you are able to see the costs, this will highlight where you need to improve the energy efficiency. There may be specific pieces of equipment that consume more energy, times during the day where energy is cheaper or blanket improvements that can across the facility. For example, switching to energy efficient lighting or computers, introducing green initiatives for your staff, or investing in heat recovery technology.
As mentioned above, there is also the option of using alternative sources of power such as solar energy to mitigate energy usage and costs. There are different options you can choose when installing solar panels for your business:
- Use 100% of the power generated from solar panels within your business
- Generate as much power as possible, use it and export it
No matter which one you choose, you will be in control of your energy usage and therefore can reduce it by improving energy efficiency, save money on utility bills all the while reducing carbon emissions.
If you’re looking for a way to reduce your business’ energy costs, talk to Noble Green Energy about switching to solar power. We have been empowering businesses with successful solar PV installations for over a decade, so we can help you. Get in touch with us today.
