Five ways to reduce office energy use. That cost nothing.

Turn heating down a little, and off when it’s not needed.

Heating can be a significant energy consumer, even turning it down by a degree or two can have a significant difference.

Office heating can be contentious.  Start a conversation about how turning the heat down a little will reduce pollution and save money.  Take the lead by putting on warmer clothing.  If the office is too warm turn the heating down rather than opening windows.

Check when the heating is timed to come on, you might want it to come on a little early in the morning, but you can probably turn it off a little before the end of the day.  Make sure it’s not coming on when no one is in, and turn it off in room that aren’t in use.

Are there any unwanted draughts from windows or doors that can be stopped?

HSE guidance on managing temperatures:

https://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/managing.htm

Turn lights off when they’re not needed

Encourage people to get into the habit of turning the lights off when spaces aren’t in use.  If there are automatic sensors make sure they’re adjusted so lights don’t stay on longer than necessary, but also so they don’t go off if someone sits still for 30 seconds!

Where possible, arrange work areas to make maximum use of natural light from windows.  If they get too much direct sunlight fit blinds that can control the light, rather than totally block it.  This will reduce the need to put lights on.

Replacing traditional filament bulbs with LED lights or modern fluorescent bulbs is a small investment that is likely to pay off.

Water heating - check the controls

Check that boiler timers and temperature setting are correct, and make sense for when the building is in use.  Also make sure boilers are being serviced regularly and are working efficiently.  Heating water is energy intensive, so small changes can make a significant difference

When making drinks only boil as much as necessary.  A kettle or on-demand hot water is a better option than an old fashioned tea urn or water boiler.  Share a tea break, boiling two or three cups of water is more efficient than boiling the kettle two or three times.

IT - turn it off when not in use.

Turn computers, monitors and printers off at the wall when not in use.  Modern equipment uses less power when on standby, but turning things off still makes a difference and is also a good fire safety precaution.

Printing less saves paper and also saves electricity.

When purchasing new equipment check out the power consumption of different options.  A modest size monitor could use significantly less than an large screen.

Get people on board

This is the most important part.  Try having conversations about reducing pollution and reducing our contribution to climate change, so they don’t think it’s just about penny pinching.  Be seen to be taking the lead.

This link is to a really good video about having conversations about climate change, and is also good guidance for talking about any potentially difficult subject:   https://youtu.be/RkklaXhbTuA

Is there anything else that you’ve tried that should be on this list?

#energysaving #savingenergy #officetips