Office buildings should strive to save electricity in order to reduce CO2 emissions. Not only this but to conserve our fuel reserves while also saving money! The majority skips this important part when building their dream office space.
We have something important to bring your attention to. Consider the following crucial points and continue reading for a detailed explanation of the suggestions.
When it comes to how to save electricity in your office, here is a quick view:
- Dress appropriately for the season and in layers. It helps in reducing the need for air conditioning.
- Maintain a temperature range of 20-23°C.
- Examine the airtightness of the structure.
- For PCs, use sleep/hibernation and energy-saving modes.
- Replace old, inefficient equipment with newer, more energy-efficient models.
- Use LEDs and keep lights free of dust.
- Don’t fill the kettle to the brim.
- When not in use, turn things off (via the switch)!
Importance of Energy Saving
Due to the fact that electronic devices have become so ingrained in our lives. It’s easy to forget how much electricity we consume on a daily basis. More specifically, it’s easy to lose sight of how much money we’re squandering.
We’re depleting our fuel reserves faster than drowsy office workers on a Monday morning. Just by not being mindful of turning things off and purchasing energy-efficient office equipment.
People don’t feel compelled to save electricity. This is because they don’t see the immediate benefits of doing so. Also, the negative consequences of not doing so. However, it is speculated that the world’s fuel reserves have passed their peak. So, if our consumption does not slow, supply will continue to rapidly decline and prices will escalate. Only then we will be able to feel it.
You can start by investing in quality low-energy requiring office equipment. For example, if you own an industrial robotic arm firm, buy a low cost robot arm. On the other hand, if you own a textile firm, start with a low-energy consuming textile machine.
Three Key Areas to Reduce Power Consumption
Here are our recommendations for reducing electricity consumption in three key areas of your office:
1. Air conditioning
While necessary, heating and cooling buildings consume a significant amount of energy. So, offices should find alternative, less expensive, and more energy-efficient ways to keep their buildings warm and cool.
Did you know that lowering the thermostat by 1°C can save you 10% on your annual energy bill? Well, now you know. To make this easier for you, here are ways to save electricity on air conditioning:
- Dress for the season: wear lighter clothing in the summer and warmer clothing in the winter, and layer so you can dress up and down as needed. If people aren’t wearing t-shirts in the middle of winter, rooms won’t have to be heated to an excessively high temperature.
- Close doors and windows when heating a room to prevent heat loss, but open doors and windows when it is warm to reduce air conditioning and keep the room from becoming stuffy.
- Maintain a temperature range of 20-23°C. It’s the most comfortable temperature in the room.
- Use an energy management system to program timers for air conditioning, allowing it to turn on and off before people enter/leave the building.
- Check the building for airtightness – draughts could be causing heat loss.
- Install weather strips on doors and around windows to keep air from escaping while the air conditioner is on and the room at a consistent temperature.
2. Lighting
Lighting accounts for approximately 15% of a company’s annual energy bill. And approximately half of the offices leave their lights on overnight and on weekends!
Can you imagine how annoyed you’d be? If you went away for the weekend and returned to find you’d accidentally left all the lights on in your house. Resulting in a much higher-than-usual energy bill? This is something that offices all over the country do on a daily basis!
So much electricity and money are being squandered unnecessarily. It is simple to save energy on lighting. Light bulbs on the market are more efficient than ever before. there is a technology for setting lights to turn off automatically under certain conditions if people forget. Furthermore, businesses should make use of natural light as much as possible: it is a free resource!
Here are some ways to save electricity on office lighting:
- When you leave any of your office rooms, make sure to turn off the lights. This is so obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people forget or don’t bother to do it.
- LED bulbs last up to 2.5 times longer than CFL bulbs. Also, 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
- Configure lights to turn off automatically at the end of the workday. This can be done with manual override for people who need to work overtime.
- Keep light fixtures clean and dust-free. A thick layer of dust can block up to half of the light.
- Use natural light as much as possible. You can arrange desks near windows and reduce the use of artificial lighting.
3. Office equipment
Massive amounts of electricity may be squandered on office equipment. Especially if it’s either inefficient or not used in a conserving manner. Dozens – if not hundreds – of people in your IT building use various devices. Such as PCs, display screens, printers, phones, and other electronic devices.
If this equipment is left on or used when it isn’t necessary, especially without the use of energy-saving features. It is just wasting electricity. The same rules apply when you are not using IT enclosures in your IT department.
Here are some ways to save electricity on office equipment:
- Set PCs to sleep/hibernate mode when not in use for a short period of time. But shut them down completely when you are finished with them for the day.
- Set your equipment to energy-saving modes. Most modern computers and monitors have these options.
- Print something only if you absolutely need it in hard copy. Otherwise, refer to a digital version. If someone requires a copy, email it or share it via Google Docs.
- Ensure that office equipment purchased has a high energy rating. Replace older types of office equipment, which can consume 50 to 90 percent more electricity than energy-efficient models.
Final Words
Most of these changes to the way you use electronic equipment in the office may seem obvious. But they must be emphasized, especially for our younger generation. This is because they may not think twice about where their electricity comes from. As a result, they may not think twice about how they use it.
Many people are simply unaware of how much electricity is wasted. Especially when they skip the simple act of turning off a light or equipment that is no longer in use. Make an attempt to implement these best practices in your workplace. You will help our country save electricity, reduce CO2 emissions, and extend the life of our fuel reserves.
