One of the biggest wastes of money for large brick and mortar businesses in the UK is excessive energy bills from inefficient heating systems. According to the Confederation of British Energy, businesses in the UK waste around 10-20% of the energy they buy, which adds up to a hefty sum at the end of the year.

Add this to government policy on environmental taxes, relief and schemes for businesses and there’s little reason to put off upgrading your heating system any longer. These taxes are likely to become more costly over the years as well, so now seems like the time to invest in a more efficient setup.

Cavity wall insulation

The biggest cost to businesses and homes from wasted energy is escaping heat. The worst culprit for homes is generally windows and doors and the same applies to many businesses too – but poorly insulated walls for large corporate properties can lead to masses of wasted energy. Cavity wall insulation can save homes as much as £145 every year on their heating bills, but larger buildings with a bigger surface area can save a bundle with properly insulated walls.

Consider new heating methods

Once a property keeps the heat in more effectively it’s time to think about a new heating system to really cut the expense. You have a huge range of options to choose from but one system you want to take a good look at is infrared heating.

Instead of heating air – which is a poor conductor to start with – infrared heating warms objects and people directly. This is a much faster and more effective way to heat rooms, especially in larger buildings. While traditional heaters need time to heat a space, infrared heating works more like direct sunlight to heat things instantly. Which not only means a more efficient system, but no preheating, hanging around or cold spots – especially when combined with cavity wall insulation.

Infrared heating systems in action

Rather than bang on about the benefits of infrared heating, let’s take a look at a case study to see the technology in action. Any good heating system supplier will have case studies, or at least testimonials, on their website – and today we’re heading to Balornock, Scotland, to see how Red Hot Green is saving a care home £30,000 a year on its heating bills.

The Newcastle based infrared specialists set up an experiment in two separate rooms to showcase the difference between the old electric heating system and a single 1kW Sunlight heating panel. After almost a month with both methods set to a constant 23 degrees, Red Hot Green can calculate the care home will save over £30,000 per year and recuperate the cost of its new heating system in less than 18 months.