Do you really need new equipment?

When you feel it’s time to purchase new equipment, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can your existing equipment be repaired?
• Can it be upgraded without buying a whole new unit?
• Is it cheaper to hire replacement equipment on an ad-hoc basis?
• How much energy does the existing equipment use? If it uses a lot, a new energy efficient model may save you so much that it justifies buying replacement equipment.
• If you do have to buy equipment, can you buy good quality second-hand or superseded equipment? Last year’s top-of-the-range model from a respected brand could be more energy efficient than your current model and it should be cheaper to buy than the latest version.
• If you are buying new equipment, buy only the size that you need to get the job done. Buying equipment that’s too big will unnecessarily increase your energy bills.
• When buying new equipment, make sure you buy the most energy efficient model available. This will reduce your ongoing running costs.