Energy Tips
Little things add up to big savings when it comes to using your energy more efficiently:
- Close window blinds and shades to reduce the amount of sunlight entering through windows and glass doors.
- Keep vents closed in unoccupied areas.
- Allow employees to wear comfortable clothing during hot weather so you don’t have to keep work areas cold enough for them to wear suits and coats.
- Trim bushes or plants near the outdoor air conditioning unit to help circulate air.
- Whenever possible, refrain from using large equipment during the peak hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Designate someone to be responsible for good energy practices. Good energy practices need to be promoted by a key person to everyone else in the company.
- Replace incandescent lamps in exit signs with low wattage light emitting diode (LED) lamps. Each LED light can save you up to $40 per year on your electric bill. They also last longer, which reduces maintenance costs. LED lights typically use 1 to 5 watts while incandescent lights require 20 to 40 watts.
- Reset water cooler temperature from 50 degrees to between 55 and 60. A water cooler should provide "naturally" cool water, not water that is "overcooled." If you're in the market for a new water cooler, an ENERGY STAR® qualified model requires about half as much energy as a standard unit.
- Require your vending machine supplier to install an occupancy sensor to cycle off the machine during unoccupied periods.
- Ask your janitorial service to minimize their impact on electricity usage by lighting only the area in which they are working rather than turning on the lights for the entire building.
- Turn off computers and other office equipment when not in use, especially overnight and on weekends.
- Choose settings that automatically switch your computer monitor or copier to "sleep" or "power-down" mode when it hasn't been used for a predetermined amount of time.
- Consider having employees use laptop computers since they use up to 90 percent less energy than standard computers.
- Choose the smallest computer monitor that will meet your needs. The smaller the monitor, the less energy it uses.
- If appropriate, use ink-jet printers - they consume up to 90 percent less energy than laser printers.
- Look for the ENERGY STAR® label when purchasing computers, printers, copiers, fax machines and other office equipment. The ENERGY STAR label means that the equipment is energy efficient. If you lease equipment, request energy efficient models.
- Discover a wealth of information and steps you can take to make your operations more efficient by logging on to the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Web site at www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_workplace.
Remember, saving on energy costs boosts your bottom line.
Source: American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy www.aceee.org
Share energy@work with your colleagues.