Every business owner knows the value of a hard earned penny and the importance of making savings to increase profit. Dental practices are no different and Lee-Anne Scott, principal partner at McManus and Scott Dentists in Scotland, has discovered that energy efficiency is one simple way to boost her bottom line.
She explains: “Energy is crucial to the running of a dental practice – we literally couldn’t operate without it but the potential is definitely there to make savings. With clinics in Holytown and Newarthill, my working day begins with switching on the lights and computers, while the heating warms up the surgery to make it a relaxing place for our patients.
“Electricity runs throughout the practice – powering up the dental chair, drills, X-ray machines and computers – so costs can be high but I have found that making a few small changes has made a big difference.”
The energy industry regulator, Ofgem, has announced new standards of conduct requiring energy suppliers to treat small businesses fairly, as part of reforms to provide businesses with more protection in the energy market, giving them the confidence to shop around and get the best deal.
Keeping administrative work to a minimum is key for SME’s. Like many business owners, Lee-Anne needs to find time to handle paperwork for her practice which tends to be usually after grabbing a bite to eat at lunchtime or after putting her children to bed at night. Until recently, McManus and
Scott practices were registered with separate energy suppliers. In a bid to reduce costs and to streamline the business Lee-Anne decided to switch supplier at the Holytown clinic so that both practices would be powered by a single provider.
Using the SME section of the ScottishPower website, Lee-Anne researched energy saving ideas and devised a plan to help her make the practices run more energy efficiently.
“I think some people are under the wrong impression that making a business more energy efficient is going to be disruptive, time consuming or expensive but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I have found it to be very simple and a case of making small changes to my routine and behaviour.”
Heating accounts for 20 to 40 per cent of energy costs in a typical office environment and for every one degree reduction on the thermostat, businesses can save around eight per cent on their heating bills. As warmth is important to the customer experience in a dental practice, Lee-Anne had to find a way around the problem.
“We need heating to ensure our patients are comfortable but I found that by using a thermostat and timer, I could monitor consumption. My team is fully on board and we have been able to control the temperature with the thermostat and using the timer, we ensure that we do not waste energy when the clinics are closed.”
Lighting is another area where energy if often wasted. Switching lights off in empty rooms or corridors could mean savings of up to 15 per cent.
In addition to monitoring the lighting and heating, Lee-Anne also ensures that equipment is switched off at the end of each day and monitors are placed on standby when not in use. She explained: “Every little helps and the statistics are there to prove that having the right attitude when it comes to energy efficiency can make a big difference to a business. It is quite simple as far as I am concerned – for every one pound I save on energy costs, that is one pound towards the profit of the business