Your office is an important part of your life. Whether you work from home or in a traditional office space, it’s likely that you spend more time there than anywhere else in your life. That means the health and safety of your employees should be a top priority. Improving the energy efficiency of your office building can go a long way toward achieving this goal—and we’ll show you how.
Replace fluorescent bulbs with LEDs
The fluorescent bulbs used in offices today are often underpowered and waste a lot of energy. LEDs (light-emitting diodes) use 90% less energy than fluorescent bulbs. If you do the math on this one, it makes sense to switch to LEDs as soon as possible!
LEDs also last longer than fluorescent bulbs. In fact, many manufacturers claim that their LED products can last up to 30 years without breaking down or stopping working entirely—which is pretty amazing. Proper care and maintenance allow your office lights to run smoothly for decades without any problems.
Unplug appliances when not in use
Unplugging all of your appliances when they are not in use is one of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of energy your business uses. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t do this because they don’t realize how much energy can be saved by unplugging their appliances and instead leaving them on standby mode. These extra few watts add up over time and can account for almost 10% of an office worker’s electricity bill if left unchecked for a year!
Turn off the lights when you leave a room
You may have heard this before, but it bears repeating: turn off your lights and other electronics when you’re not using them. You can even set up a motion sensor switch (or something similar) to automatically shut down power to your office space at night, on weekends, and during vacations.
Keep track of kWh usage by appliance
You can also use a kWh meter to track your appliances’ energy usage. This will allow you to see how much power each appliance is using and which appliances are most cost-efficient. This can be especially helpful if multiple appliances are plugged into the same outlet. For example, suppose you have a coffee maker, and an air conditioner plugged into the same power strip or wall socket. In that case, these devices will be powering off one another and causing unnecessary strain on their own circuits. You should consider getting an appliance that uses less electricity for each task—for example, replacing a microwave with a convection oven can save quite a lot of money over time.
Use rechargeable batteries instead of one-time-use batteries
Rechargeable batteries are a great way to cut your office energy use. They’re designed to be reused, which means they can be used many times over the course of their life. This saves money (and waste) over the long run because you don’t have to keep buying new batteries every time one wears out or runs out of charge. They also help reduce the amount of waste generated from discarded single-use batteries, which is better for everyone on our planet!
Create an office compost pile to reduce waste that goes to landfills
Composting is a great way to reduce waste that goes to landfills. It’s also a natural process, so it doesn’t require any special equipment or tools. You can compost in your office!
You can build an indoor compost pile or use an existing planter as long as it has drainage holes and enough space for your composting materials. Start by cutting up some old cardboard boxes into pieces around 3″x3″. Place them at the bottom of your planter so that they don’t fall through when you add more materials later on in this process.
Conclusion
The bottom line is to ensure that you and your co-workers are making smart choices regarding energy use. You don’t need to go overboard, but with these tips and professional help from organizations like Business Energy Comparison, you can make a difference in your office’s carbon footprint while saving money on utility bills!
