Company Policy Habits to Reduce Energy Consumption

There are endless reasons for a business to concentrate on energy efficiency in the work building. Electricity costs are rising. Customers want the businesses they buy from to be environmentally friendly. A green company culture is desirable from potential employees. However, when it comes down to the brass tacks, many organizations find it difficult to identify ways to become more reduce energy consumption and be efficient. Consider these workplace policy improvements to help your building operations cut down on energy use.

Businesses should use the windows that they have. Far too many office buildings are lined with windows but have shades closed at all times. Inside the building, every light switch is turned on, filling rooms with artificial illumination. This is not only unnecessary, but it is also wasteful. Depending on what direction windows are facing, shades could and should be open for a majority of the day. During cooler months of the year, natural light’s energy can both bring warmth and visibility to offices. During hotter months, shades can be adjusted, so light still enters the building. Trees, both outside and inside, can help to disperse light, so that offices are not too bright or too warm.

Most people leave their computers and laptops on; it is just a habit. It is easier to keep programs that are being used open and running. While this might save a couple minutes each day, it wastes a lot of electricity over time. Companies should implement policies to not only shut down devices when the workforce leaves the office, but even unplugging power cords and chargers to avoid waste to  phantom power. Be conservative with energy during work hours too. For example, computer and laptop settings can be changed to go into automatic sleep mode if they are left unused for more than 15 minutes. Not only is it good to give the machine a break, but it will also reduce the amount of energy wasted and electricity costs.

To run a business successfully, a million balls need to be juggled. There is always something to do, improvement to be made, or new advancement to incorporate. Sometimes, to make sure all components of the business are on track, it is best to delegate tasks.

Businesses can incorporate similar delegation with their energy needs. For companies in a deregulated market, they can switch to a retail energy supplier and see tremendous benefits. Not only will they get the best natural gas and electricity rates, but they will also get price protection for those rates, unparalleled customer service, and real cost savings. Additionally, a retail energy supplier will regularly update its clients on the latest technology and methods for reducing energy use and waste.

What gets measured gets improved. If a business wants to start wasting less energy, they should first assess what they are doing and where they are most wasteful. This might start simply by looking at the energy bill and setting a goal of a lower number for the next month. It might, however, be more involved, including an energy audit and getting an analytics system set up, so the business can more precisely review how much energy they are using and where the energy use is concentrated. A thorough analysis is conducted, and further details pinpoint where a business building is most wasteful, including the time of day, day of the week, particular machine operations, and more.

In summer, energy bills see a spike when the outdoors heat up, and HVAC systems run constantly to maintain a comfortable indoor environment. Constant outdoor heat can be accentuated by strict office dress codes, when people are required to wear heavy, long pants; long sleeves; full suits; uniforms; and more. For most days of the year, this type of dress may be unnecessary. Many offices rarely see clients or suppliers come into the office, and much work includes virtual communication with talks over the phone or emails. This creates an opportunity for organizations to loosen the dress code, so employees can keep cool without needing to blast air conditioning to maintain comfortable indoor conditions. This saves a lot of energy and utility costs in the process.

Excessive energy consumption and wastefulness can become a habit. To break this routine, new ones must be created. It takes a little bit of discipline, but offices will see a big difference in their operating cost energy bills if they make the effort. For more extensive methods of increasing energy efficiency, please  contact us.

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