It is an obvious fact that commercial offices tend to have higher energy usage as compared to a typical household. This is primarily due to the numerous types of equipment used in the workplace. If you are managing your office’s energy consumption, you need to take note of the biggest energy hogs in the office so you can employ energy-saving tips to boost efficiency and increase savings.
To help you out, here is a rundown of the biggest energy hogs in a typical workstation and some tips to manage its energy consumption.
Lighting System
- Turn the lights off when not in use. Lighting accounts for more than 40% of the overall energy consumption of most commercial buildings. It is because there are lighting systems which are left on 24/7. Turning off the lights at the end of the day will cut down your energy cost for as much as 25%, except of course for the security lightings which need to be switched on at night.
- Upgrade the bulbs. If you are still using an incandescent bulb inside the office, now is the time to upgrade to LEDs and compact fluorescent lights. For warehouse lighting, you can shift to metal halides. And for outdoor security lighting, halogen lights are a great choice.
- Use Timers. You can set a timer on bathroom and conference room lighting systems so that the light will only turn on when someone enters the room.
Computers
- Prefer to use laptops. Desktop computers need to be plugged in the whole time as compared to laptops which can be unplugged when the battery is full. Additionally, laptops offer your employees the opportunity of bringing the job to their homes which is beneficial most of the time.
- Use power-mode. Ask your employees to set their computers to power-saving mode and disable the screensavers. With this, you are managing the energy used by the computer throughout the working period.
- Power down. Give your employees an individual power strip where they can plug in their working equipment. Then ask them to completely power down their work area at the end of the day. It is simply done by flipping the switch on the power strip.
Copiers and Printers
- Establish a central copy room. Putting an individual printer for each office brings less hassle to the employees however it is a great source of energy wastage. Some offices leave printers on even when not in use. By providing a central copy room with just enough equipment to meet the office needs, you are surely reducing your energy load in the workplace.
- Choose Energy Star. Energy star units are proven efficient in using energy. As much as possible, use Energy-star qualified printers and copiers inside the office.
Are you looking for more ideas to keep your workplace more energy-efficient? Hightower Service can help by performing a professional energy audit in the building. Give us a call today!
