Aftermarket November 2022

Taking control While a support package is in place, the onus will also be on business owners to take control of the energy situation within their own walls. Most automotive sector businesses use a lot of energy. It is in the very nature of the work. Everything from the lighting to be able to see what you are doing, to the heat needed so that fingers are nimble enough to work in the depths of winter, to all the diagnostic equipment needed to perform basic checks on vehicles. Then factor in power for battery charging and testing, power for using the lifts, power for running the ADAS equipment, or the many other pieces of kit that is a requirement for operating, but also cost money, and you will want to start finding some savings. Where to start though? Perhaps you should take a walk through your own facility, but as if you are your own energy saving advisor. Let’s start by walking into reception. Are the lights already on when you walk in? If so, do they need to be? According to the Carbon Trust, lighting uses 20% of the energy generated in the UK, so imagine the savings you could make on your own energy bills if you could cut down on the amount of light used. If the window allow enough natural light to come through, maybe you should think about switching them off when there is no one in there. Of course, you may have a member of staff who is either permanently based there, or very often found in that area. If so, perhaps you might want to think about motion sensors for your lighting, so it is only on when someone is in the area. If you have not already done so, you could consider installing LED bulbs, which are more efficient. Another area to consider will be the type of computer being used by those working in reception. Is it a desktop or a laptop? The latter generally use less energy, and if you are saving all data to the cloud anyway, would you need 10 AFTERMARKET NOVEMBER 2022 BIG ISSUE www.aftermarketonline.net desktops? If computers are plugged into the wall, make sure to set them to hibernate when not in use. This will reduce the drain. Speaking of screens, many garages will have a television in their reception area. Is this on all the time, perhaps with the sound down, tuned to a 24-hour news channel, or perhaps showing a promotional video about your own business, or perhaps adverts for other local businesses? Yes, we’ve visited a few garages in our time. During periods when no one is in reception, and no one is watching, does it need to be on? If you feel this is absolutely necessary, is it the most efficient TV? If it is an older model, it is likely to be much less efficient than a more recent example. With this in mind, is it time for an upgrade? The settings used can also have an impact. Energy Saving Mode should be self-explanatory, and this reduces the backlight, which can cut energy usage by more than 30%. You can also just manually turn down the brightness. If the TV is used to play the radio, you can blank the screen. This might seem like a small saving, but if you make enough of these, you may see your bills spiral slightly less dramatically this winter than if you had done nothing. Workshop Making savings in the workshop, outside of using more energy efficient bulbs, is going to be less easy. If no one is in the workshop, saving money on the electricity bill is going to be the least of your problems. However, what about non-productive areas; Are lights routinely left on where you store parts and consumables? We have seen this many times over the years. This is a classic example of where motion sensors would be an ideal solution. However, you do not need to spend money; Savings can be made just by making the conscious decision to switch lights off. Assign a member of staff the responsibility of I’ll be looking to the Budget proper later this autumn for more specific support for small businesses and our sector ” The work performed by a garage will be by its nature energy-intensive