The most important thing in a workplace that is very vital is having electricity and managing it. For there to be a sustainable work environment, energy-saving techniques can best serve your organization. These approaches might end up saving the company the extra money paid for this vital amenity. Below are ten energy-saving ideas for a sustainable workplace.
Setting up laws about power-off and light-off
An office whereby the computers are on standby with the lights on consumes so much power, and enforcing policies against power wastage will work towards mending this problem. To ensure these policies are followed, you could put up stickers next to power switches and offices to remind your personnel to switch off the lights and computers at the end of a workday.
Cut down on heating and cooling
Different workplaces have varying heating and cooling demands, such as during the summer, there might be more need for cooling than heating. To reduce the power used to cool or heat the workplace, you could introduce more windows or dial down the AC by a few degrees. For energy saving during the winter times, you could introduce insulation material to conserve the heat within the building to cut down on the heating bill. By doing simple amends, the workplace will be a natural cooling or heating building, and the workers will not even notice a difference.
Switch to using laptops
Using laptops instead of desktops in the workspace would cut down power usage by up to 50%. Additionally, you could purchase smaller monitors for your personnel because they do not consume as much power as the bigger ones. You could also opt for reducing the number of printers in the offices and instead use one printer for many people, or adopt inkjet printers in place of laser jet printers because they consume less energy.
Switch to LED
It is an irrefutable fact that lighting accounts for a colossal portion of your energy bill. Using incandescent or halogen light bulbs will cost you an extra coin compared to adopting LED lighting techniques. This lighting technology only uses a fraction of the energy compared to conventional lighting bulbs.
Maximize natural lighting
Since using fluorescent light bulbs is a pain in the neck, you should probably switch to natural light. This might force you to install additional windows in the offices or skylights, but it would double down to benefit you. It would be best if you encourage your staff to switch off their lights during the day, draw the curtains and blinds, and only switch on the lights when it’s too dark to work.
Eliminate energy leaks
Sometimes heating and cooling appliances fall short of their optimum working conditions leading to energy leaks which eventually puts a huge energy bill for you to pay. Instead, invest in frequent checks and maintenance to ensure no energy leaks and your ACs are in their best condition.
Upgrade to more efficient appliances
When using old fridges and printers, the running costs tend to fly off the roof because of the disproportionate drain on your energy, adding the power bill. Upgrade to appliances and peripherals with high energy ratings, and ensure that it suits your needs to avoid paying extra for running costs. For example, don’t buy two large fridges if one medium-sized one does the job given your business’s size. It will save you the extra dime spent running a big fridge that doesn’t serve the purpose well.
Invest in solar panels
Installing the solar hot water system and solar power system will be a revolutionary step in trying to fix the huge energy bills and your water billing system. Considering the rapid fall of solar panel prices, it is cheaper to install them and forget about buying electricity for your business and can become a way to save on your water billing system. The best part is, if you install enough panels to generate more power than you need, you could always sell the surplus back to the grid and earn from them. This must be the best way to deal with your rising energy bills.
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