Businesses across the UK have recently been facing big increases in the price of energy. With prices hitting record highs towards the end of last year (an average gas bill hike of more than 250%), it’s no wonder companies are searching for ways to minimise their expenditure.
Switching to eco-friendly equipment, conducting energy audits, turning off equipment overnight and staggering work hours only go so far in reducing energy costs and for some businesses, not all of these options are viable.
Experts warn that energy prices could keep steadily rising for businesses over the foreseeable future, so sitting back and doing nothing would not be effective planning for this year’s cold winter months. Businesses need to investigate potential ways to be more energy efficient now, and one of those ways is through optimising existing space.
Divide areas to maintain heat and air flow
To improve heating/energy costs, only heat the areas you need to by installing a Flexiwall partition from Westgate, market-leading suppliers of industrial partitions.
This floor-to-ceiling heavy duty fabric wall is used to divide large industrial warehouse and factory space. It can be made to any height and width to suit tall buildings and easily installs around existing ducts and pipework, creating an airtight seal of over 99% which is great for maintaining heat and air flow.
Westgate have worked with many customers to create partitioning solutions that allow them to heat only the space required, saving them money on heating large open spaces.
After Westgate had installed a Flexiwall for one particular business, the customer conducted a degree day analysis to normalise the data between the winter period before installation and the winter period after and found considerable savings. The project is likely to pay back in just over 3 years and save 44 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year from the reduction in natural gas used on site.
Flexiwall can also be easily installed on mezzanines, or used to enclose external canopies with additional wind load straps.
Create airlocks to avoid draughts
Fastflex fast action doors can be combined with Flexiwall or Hoardfast uPVC panel walling to create internal or external bespoke airlocks that are guaranteed to reduce heat loss and save energy by avoiding draughts.
Install access curtains to control air movement
Flexistrip PVC curtains can create fixed or retractable access points for temperature-controlled zones. Installing Flexistrip stops air movement from one space to another and can help contain heated air in one space to reduce overall energy expenditure.
Invest now for long term savings
Crucially, the implementation of these solutions supports ROI, meaning the initial cost will be offset with energy savings and a reduction in carbon footprint over the next couple of years. Investing now will see beneficial savings in the long term.
Westgate can provide consultations to evaluate your industrial space, to help you weather this ongoing energy crisis and reduce carbon footprint by advising you on how to utilise your space more efficiently.
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