Knowing where to start when it comes to saving energy can seem a complex task.
But knowing that by not doing so you could be missing out on savings of as much as 20 per cent off of your bills should be enough to focus the mind. And this is where The Publican's new Go Green, Save Money initiative comes in.
So how can licensees make a difference to their energy bills and the environment?
For Andrew Feest, licensee of the Queen's Arms in Brighton, the opportunity to increase profits by reducing overheads was made easier with the help of an energy makeover from e-force - a team of energy-saving experts from energy giant npower - following a Publican competition.
With energy costs among the pub's main outgoings, the team visited the Queen's Arms to show how quick and simple it can be for pubs to put energy-saving measures that can really make a difference into practice.
Mission possible
A long-established pub and entertainment venue in fashionable Brighton, the Queen's Arms has been brought up to date with the visit from the e-force team.
The team's mission was simple - to put in place a range of free-of-charge energy-saving measures aimed at reducing the business' energy consumption and showing how even small improvements in energy efficiency can lead to important cost savings for pubs.
The first step to reducing energy consumption and costs is to establish how much is being used and where. To find this out, npower undertook a complete review of how the Queen's Arms used energy, identifying changes that could lead to an annual estimated saving of over £367 on its energy bills - not to mention a reduction of approximately 2.1 tonnes of CO2.
Making the difference
With the recommendations in place, e-force got into action. The basic changes made included changing light bulbs by either replacing them with a lower wattage or energy-saving version - potentially cutting energy costs by £124.
A completely free energy-saving measure was to turn down the air conditioning by 2oC, potentially saving the pub £232 a year.
The team also managed to make some simple savings by sealing the beer cellar door to retain cold air within the room.
npower's experts also identified that separating the wiring for the toilet lights, so they no longer share the same circuit as the corridor lights and can be switched off when not in use, could lead to further annual savings of approximately £70 and 400kg of CO2.
npower's hometeam also serviced the pub's boiler as part of the free makeover. Servicing a boiler annually ensures it operates efficiently and can lead to savings of up to 40 per cent on energy bills and lower emissions, as well as having a clear safety benefit.
Low-cost benefits
Both licensee Andrew Feest and npower believe that the savings made serve as a strong example to others pubs of the energy savings that can be achieved at no cost or from just a small investment.
Andrew says: "We were surprised not only with what we found out, but how easy it is to make a difference.
"It's the small things like this that are easy to change, but make a huge difference and we are now more aware than before as to what we need to do as a business to become more energy efficient.
"I would urge other businesses to start looking at how they could be saving money by doing little things like this because they will be surprised."
Steve Fitzsimons, business energy manager at npower, said: "We have shown that energy efficiency is quick and easy to achieve with little or no cost involved.
"Just replacing the current wall lights with lower wattage, compact fluorescent bulbs, changing from a dimmer switch to a standard one and sealing the beer cellar door could save nearly £50 a year. It can be as easy as that to save energy.
"The important thing is we've been able to make sizeable savings without needing The Queen's Arms to change the way it runs its business or the service for customers. Energy is being saved, but it's definitely business as usual."
For publicans looking at an easy way to boost profits and remain competitive in the ever-changing economic climate, energy saving offers a quick and simple way of ensuring important money is not being wasted.
npower believes most businesses could cut 10 per cent from their energy bills by making some simple, free energy saving measures and up to 20 per cent with a small investment.
For more energy-saving advice visit www.npwower.com/e3
HOW THE SAVINGS ADD UP AT THE QUEEN'S ARMS
* Replacing light bulbs with a lower wattage or energy-saving version - saving £124 a year
* Turning down the air conditioning by 2oC - saving £232 a year
* Taking the toilet lights off of the same circuit as the corridor lights so that they can be switched off when not in use - saving £70 a year
Work with us!
Go Green, Save Money is the new initiative from The Publican aimed at driving more energy-saving and green measures into pubs .
Over the next few months The Publican will be inviting you to take a series of energy-saving steps, make use of a set of tools we are putting in place across ThePublican.com and The Publican, and share your own experiences and tips with other readers.
For more information, please visit: www.thepublican.com/gogreen