Mostly what you’ll hear, when energy efficiency is concerned, focuses on different ways to conserve energy while at home. Well, what about at the office? There are many ways that coincide with the same rules for home life, but there are a few differences catered specifically to an office setting. Let’s dive into a few ways that you can contribute your share of effort towards being more energy efficient!
- 1. Ditch the incandescent bulbs. Switching to LED bulbs can be a quick and cheap adjustment that will save you money. LEDs use less energy than incandescent bulbs, so swapping them out can be an easy afternoon project to jumpstart your office in the right direction of savings.
2. Don’t forget to turn off the lights! Make it a habit. Any room that is not in use should not have lights burning brightly for no one to see. Think the bathroom, break room, meeting room, empty offices or supply closets. Have a stubborn employee team and extra room in the budget? Install motion sensor lights! They will automatically turn off when no one is around.
3. Turn off electronics for the night. Shutting down computers, copiers, coffee makers and all your other office must-haves can help save you big bucks. Want to take your savings to the next level? Use surge protectors. This makes it extra simple for the last person to leave to flip one switch and start saving energy in bulk. This also prevents “phantom energy” from being used. Even when things are turned off, leaving them plugged in still generates a tiny bit of power. Be a professional energy saver and unplug everything!
4. Look for the ENERGYSTAR rating. Appliances that have this rating have been guaranteed to not use as much power as its nonrated counterparts. Look before you lease or buy!
5. Take control of the thermostat. Programming can be a wonderful way to conserve energy. There is no need to cool the entire office all night in the dead of summer when there is no one there to enjoy it. Consider raising the temperature during the summer or lowering the temperature during the winter when no one is there.
6. Think about the sun! Is there just enough sun first thing in the morning or mid afternoon to light up your office with the perfect glow of natural light? Use it! Turn off your office lights for a couple of hours and enjoy it. Is the sun beating down on your office space so badly you can feel your forehead burning? Consider blackout shades or planting a tree outside the windows.These solutions can help block some of the sunlight from heating up the inside of the office and causing the AC to run unnecessarily.
Always make energy saving fun! Teach employees why changes are being made and consider offering incentives to the employees that make the most effort. Everyone loves a small reward!
Roy Lewis Construction is a general contracting, design-build and construction management company based in Mobile, Alabama. If you are looking to design an office to be more efficient, give us a call at (251) 380-0000.