The warmer months are finally on their way, which means everyone, including large businesses, will be able to spend less on their heating bills soon.
In fact, companies that have designed their offices to have lots of glass features, from balustrades, staircases and partitions separating rooms, may even be able to switch the central heating lower sooner, due to the thermal insulation of the glass.
When does the heating get turned off?
There is no official date to turn off central heating, but it is thought most people switch theirs off when the average temperature is above ten degrees celsius.
This is expected to be a regular occurrence by the end of March, as temperatures are anticipated to be frequently in the mid-teens by this point.
What’s more, lots of people take the changing of the clocks as a good opportunity to turn the heating off, which happens on the last Sunday in March. This means there will be an extra hour of daylight soon, which also helps to keep the building warm.
However, managers need to make sure their office is not too cold for staff. According to government guidance, the minimum temperature in a work building should be 16C if employees are not doing physical labour.
So, as long as the thermostat is set to switch back on if temperatures drop below 16C, companies are still complying with the guidelines.
Why do glass features make a difference?
Offices that have been designed with glass features, particularly glass partitions, can trap thermal energy in, meaning the building is less reliant on radiators to stay warm.
Without these partitions dividing the space into different rooms, the office would be entirely open-plan. Therefore, cold air would flow freely throughout the space, making it feel chillier for those inside.
Partitions, however, improve the insulation of the office, particularly if they are double-glazed. The two layers of glass trap the heat in, so the warm air is less likely to escape the room and any cold air cannot get into it.
As a result, it improves the energy efficiency of the room, enabling it to have a comfortable temperature at any time of the year.
Business managers do not have to worry about their glass rooms becoming too hot during the balmy summer months though, as their thermal insulation means any outside air cannot penetrate and heat up the room.
Benefits of thermal insulated glass partitions
The main advantage of installing glass partitions to improve the office’s insulation is that it has a positive impact on energy bills.
As it keeps rooms at a comfortable temperature, there is less reliance on the central heating. Therefore, when the weather begins to warm up, it might be possible to turn off the radiators sooner than if there were no glass partitions.
This directly translates into cheaper gas bills, saving the business a considerable amount of money, given how steep energy prices have been over the last couple of years.
Although the energy price cap has been falling recently due to lower wholesale costs, bills are still higher than they were before. Therefore, being able to save money on energy costs can help many businesses with their finances.
Any saving they can make means they earn a higher profit, and the more successful and stable they are, the more secure their longevity is.
Rising energy costs
This is particularly important as 81 per cent of businesses in the UK expect energy costs to increase over the next two years.
PwC released findings from its latest survey, which also showed 72 per cent expect energy prices to have a negative impact on profits.
Over the preceding couple of years, more than three-quarters of companies in Britain found that high energy costs had a moderate to significant impact on the prices of their products and services, which directly affected their customers and clients.
The survey also reported that 67 per cent believed this had a negative impact on their profits, Energy Live News revealed.
Although there is a huge drive to reduce energy consumption, improve energy efficiency, adopt environmentally friendly features, and offset carbon emissions, this does not seem to have had a huge positive impact on bills.
Continuing on their efforts to cut down on the use of energy appliances, such as radiators, will, hopefully, be the additional push needed to reduce gas bills, helping more businesses stay afloat and make a meaningful profit.
