How to Save Energy at the Office

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Are you spending more than you should on energy? According to EnergyStar.gov, most organizations can achieve 2–10 percent annual energy savings by adopting better energy management practices. With that much money on the line, it pays to care about energy efficiency at work.

When it comes to saving energy around the workplace, there are measures that can be taken at every level of a business to achieve change, from the most entry-level employees to company executives and office managers.

Advice for employees

  • Use the power management functionality computers or other devices to reduce unnecessarily high volumes of energy usage. This might mean reducing screen brightness or adjusting the sleep settings on computers so that it “sleeps” more frequently.
  • When charging devices such as a tablet or a cell phone, unplug them once they are fully charged. They will suck up unneeded energy after a full charge is achieved.

Advice for office managers

  • Ensure that air vents around the office are uncovered and free of any obstructions.
  • Make sure that energy isn’t being wasted during the night when nobody is in the office. This can be achieved in many different ways, including turning off all lights and computers. Plugging all electrical devices into power strips makes turning all devices off in the evening easy and guarantees that devices won’t receive any electricity for passive functionality, such as a light that indicates your device is turned off.
  • During colder months, ensure that all shades and blinds are open so that as much sunlight as possible gets into the building. This will help heat the building and is completely free.
  • Apply weather stripping to all exterior doors and windows to increase your office’s insulation.

Advice for company executives

  • Upgrade the business’s equipment and to make sure it is all Energy Star-rated and highly energy efficient.
  • Hire someone responsible for efficiently using all of the business’s resources and reducing energy waste.
  • Install programmable “smart” thermostats in offices. This technology will allow office managers to make intelligent decisions about saving money around the office. The “smart” thermostat can be programmed to make the necessary changes, even while nobody is in the office. Click here to learn more about programmable thermostats.
  • Design company policies and protocols aimed at increasing energy efficiency in offices. For example, making some of the strategies described above mandatory for all employees.