Saving Energy in the Workplace

By following simple “green” rules you could end up many thousands of pounds better off. The environmental agency NetRegs claims that small and medium businesses (SMEs) could save around £1,000 per employee per year through basic energy efficiency, while the government-backed Carbon Trust estimates that £1bn is wasted annually by growing businesses.

Turn off PCs

It’s a myth that screensaver software saves power when your computers are not in use, so by leaving them on all night, and even all weekend, as many offices do, is simply a waste of money.

The Government estimates that if all your PCs were turned off overnight and at weekends, they would save £63 a year each. So, for a business with 100 computers, that’s an annual saving of £6,300.

Lights out

Encourage members of staff to turn off all lights and electrical equipment at night and over weekends. Many offices have fluorescent lights, but it is a myth that they use less energy if they are left switched on.

While, they use a lot more energy in the few seconds they take to start up than they do in the equivalent time of running, in 15 minutes a fluorescent light will have used 500 times the energy it uses in coming on.

By better positioning employees’ workstations, you can make more and better use of natural light and less use of electrical light.

Heating controls

Taking control of your heating can make a huge difference to your bills. Your firm could save around 10 per cent of its energy simply by turning down the office thermostat by one degree, while a new boiler could be up to 40 per cent more efficient, and regular maintenance of your heating system will help, too – especially if it is well insulated.

It might sound obvious, but simply adjusting your heating to the seasons can make a big difference too. When it’s warm in the summer, open windows instead of turning on the air conditioning; if it’s too warm in the winter, turn down the heating, don’t open the windows and allow heated air to escape.

Don’t heat areas that aren’t in constant use, such as corridors and store rooms, and make sure radiators aren’t blocked by furniture.

Automatic shutdown

Some employees might not turn off their computers because they forget or find it a nuisance to have to boot up every morning. To solve this problem, you can install Nightwatchman software to shut down PCs at a set time and restart them in the morning before their users arrive for work.

You can also fit timer plugs to devices such as photocopiers, scanners and printers that spend a lot of time idling to save money by turning them off at night and on again before the office opens for business.

Calculate your savings

The Carbon Trust offers support for businesses, including energy saving advice, a carbon footprint calculator and even interest free loans for companies planning an energy saving project.