Care homes are some of the biggest energy consumers within the service industry. Providing round the clock care and residential assistance to live-in residents, the facilities required to run a care home must be in use at all times. This makes it difficult for management and staff to cut down on energy consumption. However, despite the great need for several electrical appliances and equipment, there are ways that care facilities and residential homes can save energy. In this blog we will offer some tips that are easily applied into the everyday running of a care home.

Why it is important to save energy in the care sector 

The care sector is one that is often left under-funded by the government and will regularly rely on additional support from sponsors and charitable organisations and individuals to stay up and running. With energy costs being some of the biggest expenses that care homes must cover, attempting to reduce energy consumption is a good way to save money and put this extra money into the support and care of residents. Overall offering a better care service.

Not only this but by cutting energy consumption, the care home can work towards achieving net zero emissions, helping the environment and working alongside the government towards their emissions reduction across the country.

How to save energy when running a care home 

Although small changes can be made, such as turning off appliances that are not in use and encouraging positive energy efficient practices around the care home, in the long-term investment is necessary to improve the efficiency of the building.

In many cases, care homes are run from within old and often dated buildings that will not have modern eco-friendly solutions installed. Below are some ways these buildings, despite their age, can be modernised to improve their energy efficiency: 

• Review the building’s insulation – proper building insulation is key to keeping a building energy efficient. Where an older building may have a lack of insulation, it is more than likely that heat is being lost and more energy is being used to maintain a regular temperature within the care home. 
• Upgrade the lighting to LED lighting and consider motion-sensor lighting for less-frequented rooms. LED lighting is the most energy efficient and simply upgrading the current, outdated lights, to LEDs will have a significant impact on the cost of electricity. 
• Motion-sensor lighting is another good way to cut down on the use of electricity, when not necessary. This is particularly great in care homes since elderly residents may forget to turn off their lights at night or when exiting a room. 
• Ensure heat is not being lost through old windows. Double or even triple glazing will help in preventing any heat loss from windows, particularly in cold winter months. Not only is this important for energy consumption but in general for the comfort of residents. 

Switching energy supplier to reduce costs 

In order to keep costs down and invest money back into the care home, switching business energy suppliers may be the best solution. At D-ENERGi we support small UK businesses with the best business energy rates. Talk to a member of our team today to find out more about how much your business could save.