Energy efficiency isn’t just about sustainability, it’s also essential for staying competitive. As energy prices rise alongside expectations for corporate responsibility, businesses are recognising the need to step up their sustainability policies. Furthermore, as part of the Climate Change Act 2008, the UK government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A policy of reducing power consumption can even enhance your corporate reputation, especially if it translates into your offering.

With all that in mind, could it be time to improve the energy efficiency of your warehouse? A tenant company can take numerous steps to reduce their business’ energy consumption, with even small changes potentially having a major impact long-term.

At Mileway, we’ve developed an ambitious agenda to reduce our impact on the environment and help our occupiers benefit from leading energy-saving solutions. From LED lighting to highly automated, state-of-the-art technology, we’re making it a priority to support our customers’ own Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives.

In this article, we’ve outlined a further 10 ways to reduce your warehouse energy consumption.

1. Identify areas for improvement

Before you put any measures in place, spend time inspecting your warehouse and identifying the main causes of energy consumption and heat loss. Is your equipment outdated or not as energy-efficient as it could be? Are your operations optimised?

Pinpointing areas for improvement will help you make better decisions about what changes will be most impactful. Remember to also draw up a base figure of power usage to benchmark against any future energy improvements.

2. Energy checklists

Once your audit is complete, start putting together an energy checklist to determine which practices your business should take to improve energy efficiency. 

You might start by:

• Reviewing your lighting controls
• Checking the thermostat daily
• Educating staff
• Maintaining or servicing equipment more often
• Adding new procedures, such as when to turn off machinery
• Optimise your warehouse layout, as unused areas will not require as much lighting, heating and so on
• Make a list of new technology or energy types to investigate.

It is highly unlikely that any single solution will be enough to significantly cut your energy costs. Explore different possibilities, and you may find they have a surprising impact.

3. Reduce lighting costs

In a typical warehouse, lighting can be responsible for a huge proportion of the energy bills. Needless to say, this is a great area to reduce your energy consumption. 

There may be areas that you simply don’t use very often. Turning off lighting in these spaces and taking advantage of the available daylight are easy, no-cost ways to save money and improve operations at your site. You can also try putting workstations that require higher levels of lighting next to windows.

Another great way to reduce lighting costs is to explore alternatives, with one of the most popular being LED lighting.

4. Making the switch to LED

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) use significantly less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. They also enjoy longer lifespans, better energy efficiency, and improved lighting over conventional bulbs. They are also quite versatile, with options for regular bulbs, strip lights, outdoor lighting, spotlights, and more.

At Mileway, we have accelerated the switch to LED lighting for warehouses as well as all our other properties in Europe. This is just part of our work to help customers improve their green credentials and achieve lower energy bills.

5. Setting up sensors

With automatic sensors, you can make it so lights only turn on when they’re needed. You can take your savings even further by choosing smart sensors with LED lighting.

There are a few different types to consider:

• Occupancy sensors – Occupancy sensors detect motion and will turn on when someone enters an area, before eventually turning off after a period of vacancy.
• Light sensors – Light sensors or ‘photocells’ reduce the artificial lighting in warehouses when sufficient natural daylight is available.

6. Energy-efficient heating and ventilation

Warehouses are typically characterised by high ceilings, large delivery doors and lots of ventilation, all of which can lead to constant heat loss and wasted energy. Thankfully, a few small changes can lead to big energy savings.

Thermostat checks

Checking your thermostat a few times a day helps keep your space at the right temperature. We often adjust the heating in workspaces because of the weather or work schedules, but we don’t always remember to change it back. 

Depending on the size, shape and age of a warehouse, keeping the entire space well-heated can build up significant ongoing costs. A little due diligence to keep the temperature consistent could lead to significant savings.

Avoid under or overheating

Reducing warehouse energy costs involves more than simply turning off the heat (though this certainly helps). While most warehouses can operate without heating, temperatures must be kept to a minimum of 16°C to maintain staff wellbeing. This can be reduced to 13°C if the work involves a lot of physical activity, which may be the case for businesses within the industrial sector.

Here are some recommended temperatures for different space types:

• Office: 19–21°C
• Workshop: 16–21°C
• Heavy work: 11–14°C
• Stores: 15°C
• Warehousing: 16°C, or 13°C when work involves a lot of physical activity

Switch to radiant heating 

When it comes to heating a warehouse, it’s important to be aware of heat loss. Convective heaters, such as radiators, focus on heating air. This makes them less suited to warehouses, which are usually tall, as the heat will simply rise and dissipate.

Radiant heating offers a far more cost-effective and heat-efficient solution. As it warms workstations directly, heat loss is reduced, cutting the amount of energy required to keep temperatures at suitable levels.

Destratification fans

Destratification fans are designed to redistribute heat throughout a room, reducing temperature ‘stratification’ and curbing heat loss. Adding these fans to a ventilation system reduces the need for extra or ongoing heating.

7. Warehouse solar panels

Solar photovoltaic panels, often just called ‘solar panels’, convert sunlight directly into electricity. They can be a great long-term investment, especially compared to the ongoing costs of traditional commercial suppliers. 

Solar panels are a particularly good choice for warehouses. Firstly, having large roof surface areas provides more space for panels. Secondly, the height of most warehouses makes them much less likely to be obscured by shade.

That said, it’s important to note that payback time can vary. Some payback periods can range from around seven to 10 years.

8. Embracing automation

Automation is a tried and tested method to boost efficiency. It can be applied to various parts of a warehouse, including inventory management, freeing up space, or sensor-activated lights.

You may also be able to save energy with more regular maintenance of automation equipment. With proper upkeep, automated machinery can last longer and perform more efficiently.

9. Educate your employees

Maximising the benefits of your business’ energy improvements is a team effort.

By educating your employees on effective energy-saving methods and behaviours, you’ll give them a better understanding of the financial and environmental impact. Not only will this help your staff play their part, but they’ll also be more emotionally invested in supporting efforts to implement change.

Here are some ways you can drive a culture of sustainability:

• Create newsletters and company announcements to keep employees informed about your sustainability goals and how they can help achieve them
• Build engagement through staff training
• Use posters and stickers to encourage a culture of turning lights off
• Remind cleaners, security staff, or anyone else working in the building after operating hours to turn the lights off

10. Track sustainability goals

As important as it is to look for energy-saving opportunities wherever you can, it’s equally important to have realistic targets to move towards.

Establish a cost-cutting goal for your first year, making sure to review your progress regularly. An incremental approach can give you the freedom to review what works and what doesn’t, granting the insights needed to rapidly improve your sustainability practices. Ongoing tracking can also help you understand how energy requirements and challenges vary throughout the year.

Next steps

To round up, here are your first five steps to improving your business’ energy efficiency:

• Inspect your commercial property and create a checklist of the energy-saving measures you’ll prioritise
• Develop an energy efficiency strategy and communicate it to your teams
• Allocate clear roles and priorities
• Review your energy consumption regularly, so you’re aware when you’re making improvements or when there’s more work to do
• Set realistic goals and deadlines for improvements (5% improvement per year is a fantastic start!)

At Mileway, we’re committed to helping businesses of all sizes cut costs and improve their energy efficiency. We’re accommodating rising numbers of electric vehicles with dedicated storage and charging facilities while also refurbishing our warehouses to have a reduced environmental impact.