Changing habits in your workplace to be more energy efficient isn’t just good for your business financially; it can also help make your workplace more sustainable. While we’re getting wiser at home about how to save on our energy bills, we spend the majority of our days at work so it’s time to start thinking about practical ways to make changes around the office.
Whether you’re a large, medium, or small business, you could be saving more energy by following simple inexpensive energy-efficiency strategies, and as a business owner, it is important that you are engaging your entire team and getting everyone involved in making a difference around the workplace.
Educating staff on using only what they need, when they need it, can help you ensure that your business energy costs are kept to a minimum. Simple energy savings can be made by encouraging staff to make sure all lights are switched off when the office isn’t in use, making use of natural lighting where possible, switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and setting computer monitors to automatically turn off after 10 minutes of inactivity (screensavers won’t save energy!)
Below, we look at some quick and easy tips to make your workplace more energy-efficient, whilst creating a positive change to your working environment:
Lighting
Turn off lights when not needed as this extends overall lamp life and reduces replacement costs.
Reduce or replace inefficient, outdated or excessive lighting within your building.
Switch to energy efficient light bulbs like LED lights. These types of light bulbs last longer and consume a fraction of the energy of conventional light bulbs.
Take advantage of natural daylight. Natural lighting can be a power saver for any workplace.
Install occupancy sensors to automatically turn off lights.
Heating and cooling
Regularly change HVAC filters.
Tune-up your HVAC units (clean and check refrigerant charge).
Temperature control
Reduce heating and cooling. In summer, keep air conditioners programmed a couple of degrees higher from what you normally have and in winter, set the thermostat several degrees lower than you normally have it.
Install programmable thermostats. They automatically adjust temperature settings based on the time of day and day of the week.
Consider installing solar panels. A solar power system, along with a solar hot water system, is probably one of the best energy-efficient investments you can make for your business.
Office equipment
To conserve energy and reduce internal heat gain, turn off computers, monitors printers and copiers during non-business hours.
Implement lights-off and power-off policies.
Switch to laptops. Using laptops instead of desktop computers will more than half your energy costs. Buying smaller monitors also contributes to the amount of energy consumed.
Purchase ENERGY STAR office equipment.
Upgrade all outdated equipment to efficient appliances.
Once you start implementing these energy saving tips, the results - for both your energy bills and the environment are well worth it. As a business owner, it is important you take charge in turning your workplace into an energy-efficient, sustainable workplace, however it is your staff members who can help put it into effect. Remember to take the time to involve them and to encourage a culture of sustainability... employee buy-in and involvement can make or break your company’s efforts to conserve energy.
Ehlerth Electrical provides a full range of electrical services to business and individuals around Queensland. We are a hard-working and committed team of Master Electricians who pride ourselves on our job execution, and our understanding of various electrical fields. We have a genuine focus on customer service and this is reflected in all aspects of our business. For more information about how we can service your business, and assist with any of the above energy saving tips, please contact our friendly team here.
