Energy
Heating and cooling accounts for 48% of a building’s energy use. Strategies to reduce the amount of energy consumed by the HVAC system include:
- Close blinds to keep the summer sun out
- Open blinds to let the winter sun in
- Do not use portable electric heaters
Lighting consumes 17% of the energy used in an office building. Strategies to control the amount of energy consumed by lighting include:
- Take advantage of natural day light
- Reduce ambient lighting and use task lighting
- Turn off all lights that are not being used
- Install occupancy sensors in conference rooms, break rooms and offices
Items that are plugged into outlets consume approximately 15% of a commercial building's direct electrical load. These items also tend to increase the building's temperature which in turn increases cooling costs.
The strategies below provide simple changes that can cut costs and save energy in your office:
- Use power strips with built in occupancy sensors
- Optimize the energy settings on computers and other electronic devices
- Unplug printers, scanners and copiers that are only used occasionally
- Turn off any audio/visual equipment that is not being used
- Consider buying laptops and use LCD flat screen monitors
- Purchase ENERGY STAR Certified appliances and electronics