There is no getting around it. Businesses must also do their part in trying to conserve energy and protect our natural resources. We must all play a role in trying to maximize and not waste resources. Being efficient in the office isn’t only about productivity and sales. Efficiency also comes into play when we create policies that are intended to reduce operational costs, such as lowering the office’s monthly energy bills.
You can take several obvious steps that will improve the energy consumption of the building. Things such as installing insulated roofing systems, fixing a leaky faucet, and turning off the lights when not needed are basic rules. What are the other things that employees and office managers should be doing?
Shut Down Your Computer
Funny enough, many of your employees may not necessarily need a computer when working. If someone is designing panels or drawing plans using an old-school pen and drafting, why are their computers turned on? You can reduce the energy bill significantly when you turn off your computer when not in use. Do you know that computers can now be turned on and off over 40,000 times? So don’t scrimp on it. They can handle being turned on and off the whole day when not in use. This is still better rather than putting it on sleep or letting a screen saver display on the screen for hours.
Unplug Idle Electronic Equipment
Many of the appliances and equipment in your office use standby power. When you push the power button, do they turn off or are they put on standby. Printers, microwave ovens, televisions, scanners, and coffee makers all use standby power. Unplug these when not in use. Power them back up when you have to use them. It is not true that you save power by not turning them on and off. Vampire power refers to appliances that pull small amounts of energy when they are plugged but not in use. In the United States, vampire power equals the annual output of 12 power plants.
Conduct an Energy Audit
Hire an energy audit company to perform an audit of your energy consumption. You can talk to your energy provider about an energy audit service. Some providers will do this for free to help you conserve energy. The advice that you will get from these inspections will benefit your office in the future.
Upgrade the Equipment
If possible, upgrade your equipment. Old appliances, devices, and gadgets are less energy-efficient than newer models. This investment will soon pay off because you’ll be able to save on your monthly energy consumption while getting new equipment. Newer models also have more features and are less prone to malfunctions.
You need to start somewhere if you want to save on energy costs for your office. There are many other ways you can reduce your energy bills, but make sure that everyone understands what you are trying to achieve by doing these things. As long as everyone agrees, you shouldn’t have trouble enforcing these new rules in the office.
