Top 10 Energy Saving Tips For The Office

Saving energy in the office needn't be a difficult task. By making just a few small changes each day you can protect both the environment and your bottom line. Get the whole team on board with these simple, yet effective energy saving tips; they are easy to orchestrate, will reduce your carbon footprint and save the organization money. Here are the top 10 ways to save energy in the office.

1. Purchase ENERGY STAR Certified Office Equipment
Old computers, printers and various other electrical items can be chewing through an extra 15% of electricity than they need to. When buying new office equipment look for energy star certified products. You can then compare the energy usage between models, ensuring the most economical items are purchased.

2. Use Multi-Function Devices Where Possible
An all-in-one printer, scanner, copier and fax uses less than half the energy of each section if powered by separate units. Not only will you have less to dispose of when you upgrade, the company is saving on space and electricity.

3. Ensure All Electrical Devices Are Plugged Into Power Boards
This makes it easier to turn several devices off with one switch. Power boards also eliminate ‘ghost loads’ or standby power consumption, it’s silly to pay for power you aren’t ever using.

4. Unplug Rechargeable Devices
Unplug cell phones and laptops once they are charged, along with the battery chargers or power adapters. Even though your devices battery has reached 100%, the adapter is still drawing electricity - which the company has to pay for.

5. Print Double-Sided
Print on both sides of the paper, this will reduce paper wastage. We need trees to survive so preserving paper is necessary. By using less paper the shredder only has half the work to do, in turn saving electricity.

6. Set All Computers to Sleep and Hibernate Mode
Get rid of the screen saver, instead utilizing the ‘sleep mode’. This will allow your computer to consume less power while it isn’t in active use. ‘Hibernate’ partially shuts down your computer after a selected time-frame. The beauty of this feature is that it saves electricity but reloading isn’t necessary when you want to use it again.

7. Shut Computers Down At The End Of The Day
There is no need for computers to be left running all night, make sure each one is properly shut down and switched off at the power board each night before you leave.

8. Monitor The Temperature
Avoid cranking the heating right up, this can be one of the biggest power-saving mistakes. Instead set it and leave it. Bring a warm sweater instead.

9. Rinse Your Cup And Use It Again
Instead of filling the dishwasher several times a day, rinse your coffee cup and use it again. Aim to have one load of dishes for the office per day and keep the dishwasher switched off at the wall.

10. Get Everyone On Board
Having the whole office following the same procedures will ensure the maximum amount of energy is saved. Run competitions, reward success and have fun doing it!

Following these steps provides a simple way to reduce power usage without disrupting the work place. You can also take advantage of advanced meter technology that can give you immediate results about power. Smart metering solutions have half-hourly updates meaning you can monitor usage and see exactly what times of day you are using the most power. With so many easy ways to be energy efficient there are no longer any excuses!

Author Bio: Jessica Best is a featured writer for Arc Innovations, a leading company in smart meter services.