Raise awareness - many staff don't appreciate the costs of water

Review costs and charges - what can't be measured can't be done

Improve housekeeping - simple housekeeping measures can make significant savings

Consider improved washing practices - large volumes of water are used, and lost, through washing activities

Other low cost practical measures - large cost savings can be made at zero or little cost

• Staff may be unaware that supplies are metered
• Encourage all staff to suggest ways to reduce consumption
• Use staff meetings as a means of raising awareness
• Encourage staff to report any leaks
• Make sure someone is responsible for switching off water heaters before the start of holiday periods

• Contact water company to discuss tariffs
• Charges for sewage are closely related to charges for water supply
• If processes use a lot of water, lower rates may be appropriate.

• Stop leaks and drips
• Check meters are working properly - (are you being charged too much?)
• Compare bills with meter readings
• Compare daily and nightly consumption levels
• Reduce immersion thermostat settings to 60C (every 10C reduction saves 15% energy)
• Walk around the premises at night to see if boilers are on
• Set immersion heaters to switch off an hour before the end of the working day

• Investigate reuse of solvents
• Always use cold water for washing unless hot water is necessary
• Control and reduce washing
• Wipe rather than spray
• Examine potential for reuse of water

• Install immersion heater timing switches
• Install electronic urinal flush controllers incorporating passive infra-red presence detectors to trigger flush cycles
• Consider converting to push button switches
• Consider fitting flow restrictors to taps
• Fit spring loaded pistol grips to hose pipes to reduce wasted water
• Investigate use of spray head taps
• Consider use of low volume flushes
• Contact Thames water for 'hippo bags' (water saving device for toilets)

Raise awareness - many staff don't appreciate the cost of electricity and gas or how they can help

Improve housekeeping - improved housekeeping can reduce energy bills by up to 15%

Low cost practical measures - low cost measures can have a significant impact

Heating - costs rise by ~8% for each 1°C of overheating - recommended temperatures are; 19°C for offices, 16°C for workshops and 10°-12°C for stores and warehouses

• Encourage all staff to suggest ways to reduce electricity used
• Educate staff to purchase energy efficient equipment
• Discuss heating levels with staff including security and cleaning staff
• Use staff meetings as a means of raising awareness
• Encourage staff to report areas where energy is wasted
• Make someone responsible for switching off electrical equipment before the weekends and holiday periods

• Consider changing to alternative energy providers
• Check meter readings against invoices
• Where possible reduce heating levels
• Ensure doors are not left open - consider fitting automatic closers
• Make use of natural light
• Reduce use of portable electrical appliances
• Defrost fridges and freezers on a regular basis
• Check timers are set for the most appropriate times
• Conduct an out-of-hours audit - see what's been left on
• Identify equipment which can be switched off when not in use
• Use off peak electricity to charge batteries
• Carry out regular checks on thermostat settings
• Monitor and review the efficiency of electrical equipment

• Consider installing a 7 day electric time switch to permit different daily settings
• Consider use of slimline fluorescent tubes and low energy lightbulbs
• Consider reducing the number of fluorescent tubes in banks of lights
• Make sure lights and windows are kept clean
• Consider fitting motion sensors to lights
• Investigate fitting local light switches
• Reduce draughts from large open doors through plastic strip curtains, automatic closing doors or partitions
• Replace old kettles and energy intensive equipment
• Ensure proper insulation of all boilers and pipework

Raise awareness - it is essential that all staff are aware of the benefits of waste reduction

Improve housekeeping - large savings can be made without any capital investment

Seek opportunities to reduce, reuse or recycle - each of these actions reduces the amount of waste requiring disposal

Understand cost and charging mechanisms - charges may be based on a per lift basis, whether the bin is full or not

• Encourage all staff to suggest ways to improve process efficiencies and reduce waste
• Educate staff on all aspects of waste management
• Use staff meetings as a means of raising awareness
• Encourage staff to take environmental issues into account when making purchases

• Designate and clearly label a waste compound
• Produce clear instructions on disposal practices
• Provide documented procedures for handling waste
• Seek to establish a regime of continuous improvement

• Investigate potential to make processes more efficient
• Appropriate capital investment may reduce waste and return cost savings over an acceptable timespan
• Seek to maximise use of electronic systems and reduce consumption of paper

• Where available make use of waste exchange schemes - your company's waste may be another's raw material
• Seek opportunities to reuse material
• Make note pads from scrap paper
• Provide suitable materials to a local school or scrap store

• Look for information on local recycling companies
• Consider segregation of waste (certain materials are more easily recycled than others)
• Consider a joint disposal contract with a neighbouring company with provisions for recycling
• Consider recycling of toner cartridges, drinks cans and office paper

• Understand the basis of calculations for waste disposal charges - i.e. per bin emptied, or per unit weight
• Arrange frequent invoicing to allow better monitoring
• Would segregation save money? (some materials cost more to dispose of than others)
• Investigate the costs and benefits of purchasing a compactor to reduce the volume of waste to be disposed

• Encourage all staff to suggest ways to reduce distances travelled
• Educate staff to purchase fuel efficient vehicles
• Use staff meetings as a means of raising awareness
• Encourage staff to share lifts to work
• Train transport staff in fuel efficient driving techniques
• Encourage drivers to remove roof racks when not required
• Encourage car sharing
• Set up a training programme for driver awareness
• Prepare a league table of efficient drivers and vehicles

• Control vehicle washing
• Set up a schedule for servicing all vehicles
• Ensure tyres are checked for wear on a monthly basis
• Ensure that uneven wear is noted and the vehicle tracking is checked - 1 degree increases consumption by 3%
• Ensure that tyre pressure is checked weekly
• Monitor fuel consumption

• Plan all routes to minimise costs
• Consider using a computer based route planning system
• Check whether delivery arrangements can be modified e.g. to allow bulk deliveries or share deliveries with neighbouring companies

• Reimburse travel costs by paying mileage rates - encourages careful driving techniques
• Place restrictions on choice of company cars
• Consider use of alternative fuels
• Use e-mail/virtual conferencing to avoid unnecessary meetings and save time