What’s the problem?

With a million and one things to worry about over the past couple of years, dentists and practice managers would be forgiven if energy saving had slipped down the agenda. But with chairs quickly filling up again, energy prices soaring and the UK looking as though it's over the worst of covid, now is the time to prioritise energy savings. Here is a look at some equipment-based ideas to reduce your practice’s energy consumption and help contribute to the industry’s larger sustainability goals.

UK energy prices are set to double in April in what is anticipated to be the largest hike in the energy price cap history. This has been caused by gas prices quadrupling over the last 7 months. In addition to the energy crisis, the dangers of climate change and the NHS’ highly ambitious aims to reduce emissions by 80% over the next 6-10 years means there is now a real responsibility for every practice to improve its green credentials. Energy currently accounts for roughly 14 to 21% of the dental industry’s greenhouse emissions, second only to travel on the dental carbon footprint.

What’s the solution?

Switching to energy-efficient equipment. When purchasing dental equipment, it’s important to keep in mind how much energy it will take to run and look for those products that are the most energy efficient. It is also worth considering the product’s lifespan and how it will be disposed off once it’s no longer useable. Here are some suggestions to help you bring down and keep down energy costs for years to come:

What else can be done?

Outside of dental equipment, energy efficient technologies should be adopted in other areas, such as the lighting and computers. A practice with eight 60-watt light bulbs that are turned on for 10 hours a day costs approximately £150 (507kg CO2e) per year, according to the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. Switching to fluorescent lighting has the potential to reduce energy expenditure and carbon emissions by one quarter. Savings will be even greater if LED bulbs are used.

A desktop computer consumes between £25 and £62 of energy per year if used 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. These figures rise significantly if the computer is left on overnight. Switching to smaller laptops and making sure they are turned off overnight can be a great way of reducing energy consumption