How to Conserve Energy in an Office
Office Equipment
Office buildings consume 198 billion kilowatt hours of electricity every year, and the majority of it is used for office equipment and lighting, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This is a great place to start conserving and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Unplug laptop and phone charger cords when they are not in use, set your computer to go to sleep whenever it is idle for ten minutes or more, and put all equipment on power strips that can be turned off when the office is closed. If you are buying new equipment, look for the Energy Star label to ensure you are purchasing an energy-efficient product.
Lighting
The DOE reports that lighting comprises 44 percent of an office's annual electricity use . Get into the habit of turning off the lights when you leave a room and begin replacing all incandescent lights with Energy Star-qualified bulbs. They last 10 times longer, generate less heat than standard bulbs and use roughly 75 percent less energy. Lighting is one of the most cost-efficient ways to reduce office energy consumption, according to Energy Star. Large office spaces can install motion sensor devices that shut off huge banks of lights whenever employees are not present in an area.
Paper
Every day, American office workers generate about two pounds of paper waste, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Every year, the typical office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy and printer paper. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to cut back on paper use. Put employee manuals, forms and similar documents online. Set your printer and copier to print on both sides of a page. Buy recycled, chlorine-free paper. Share printed document copies, rather than providing one for every person. Use plain paper in the fax machine, so that it can be recycled.
Commuting
The EPA suggests looking for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy in your work commute. Set up a car-pooling information board that connects workers who travel along similar routes. Switch to public transportation, buy a vehicle that gets better gas mileage, bike to work or look into telecommuting. Some states offer tax incentives and other funding to help businesses create telecommuting programs . Along with reducing car-related emissions, telecommuting programs conserve energy by reducing an office building's overall energy load, especially if an office is completely closed on designated days.
Office buildings consume 198 billion kilowatt hours of electricity every year, and the majority of it is used for office equipment and lighting, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This is a great place to start conserving and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Unplug laptop and phone charger cords when they are not in use, set your computer to go to sleep whenever it is idle for ten minutes or more, and put all equipment on power strips that can be turned off when the office is closed. If you are buying new equipment, look for the Energy Star label to ensure you are purchasing an energy-efficient product.
Lighting
The DOE reports that lighting comprises 44 percent of an office's annual electricity use . Get into the habit of turning off the lights when you leave a room and begin replacing all incandescent lights with Energy Star-qualified bulbs. They last 10 times longer, generate less heat than standard bulbs and use roughly 75 percent less energy. Lighting is one of the most cost-efficient ways to reduce office energy consumption, according to Energy Star. Large office spaces can install motion sensor devices that shut off huge banks of lights whenever employees are not present in an area.
Paper
Every day, American office workers generate about two pounds of paper waste, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Every year, the typical office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy and printer paper. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to cut back on paper use. Put employee manuals, forms and similar documents online. Set your printer and copier to print on both sides of a page. Buy recycled, chlorine-free paper. Share printed document copies, rather than providing one for every person. Use plain paper in the fax machine, so that it can be recycled.
Commuting
The EPA suggests looking for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy in your work commute. Set up a car-pooling information board that connects workers who travel along similar routes. Switch to public transportation, buy a vehicle that gets better gas mileage, bike to work or look into telecommuting. Some states offer tax incentives and other funding to help businesses create telecommuting programs . Along with reducing car-related emissions, telecommuting programs conserve energy by reducing an office building's overall energy load, especially if an office is completely closed on designated days.