Firms told to switch off and save over Christmas

Resource Efficient Scotland, a programme delivered by Zero Waste Scotland, is encouraging organisations to be more sustainable and save money over the Christmas and New Year break.


Managers should plan ahead so resources and profits aren’t wasted while offices are closed during the festive season.

The Scottish Government has outlined five resource-efficient tips for businesses to save energy and money over the Christmas break:

Turn off electrical equipment

It is estimated that if 30 members of staff left their computers and monitors on, more than £280 would be needlessly added to electricity bills over a fortnightly period.

Turn off office lighting

A single bulb left on over a fortnight can waste up to £2 of electricity.

Adjust heating controls

Boilers are commonly left to run as normal during a shutdown. The cost of heating a 1,000 square metre office for a fortnight using gas is approximately £700. Although a small amount of frost protection is recommended, the majority of this expense is unavoidable if a business is empty.

Ensure waste management is complete

Paper, card, plastic, metals and glass should be separated for collection for recycling and any food business producing more than 50kg of food waste per week must present it for separate collection.

Measure your energy and water baseline

Meter readings can be recorded immediately before and after the shutdown period to help identify areas where resources can be saved in the long-term.

Zero Waste Scotland chief executive Iain Gulland said: “The Christmas break is a great opportunity for businesses and public sector organisations to ‘switch off’ and reduce their bills, whilst making a positive impact on the environment.

“Our top five tips are incredibly simple energy saving measures, which take very little time to implement but offer a good financial return.”

More information can be found at resourceefficientscotland.com or by calling 0808 808 2268.

Lois Vallely

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