Running a small business means always having to monitor your bottom line. The profitability of your business affects its longevity, so keeping costs down is a major priority for any business. One way to do that is to manage the commercial energy rates of your Texas business. Finding a cheap energy plan and doing all you can to keep energy use down will help minimize the overhead costs of your business.

The first thing you’ll want to do is find an inexpensive energy plan. Shop Texas Electricity helps businesses with that by creating custom tailored plans based on your energy use history. They will use the data from your previous years of electricity use and contact several retail energy providers, finding one who will offer a low commercial energy rate for your Texas business. Once you have a low cost plan, lock in that rate with a fixed rate contract. This will keep your rate from changing in the coming months, even if energy demand goes up along with prices.

Now that you’ve found a good plan, you’ll need to make a good plan for your energy use. Using Energy Star certified equipment can reduce your energy usage by 20-30% for those devices. Computers, monitors, printers, and copiers all have Energy Star rated options, and they’ll save you a decent amount of energy over their lifetime.

Keep your HVAC system working at peak efficiency by having it serviced once every six months, preferably in the early spring and early fall. An HVAC specialist will make sure the system is working efficiently and correct any issues that may be causing it to lose efficiency, meaning you’ll get a lot more out of it for less energy. Every one to three months, change the filter in your HVAC’s intake. When this filter is dirty, it reduces airflow and causes the system to work harder to move air.

Cut back on high energy use by increasing the thermostat temperature in the summer and decreasing it in the winter. Every degree of difference from your preferred temperature can affect your energy bill by 1-3%. Make sure you keep your office sealed up tight and no air is escaping through windows or under doors. Lost air conditioned air is a major expense, so keep it inside to reduce energy use.

Next, switch any incandescent lights to CFLs or LEDs. These types of bulbs use about 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and if your office has to lit all day long, it can save you a lot of energy. If possible, use as much natural light and task lighting as possible to further reduce energy use from lighting.