Cool Summer Office Energy Saving Tips

Earth Day last month and now SolarDay, is coming on June 19th, one day before the Summer Solstice. But seriously – the survival of our planet is definitely worth celebrating. More than one day a year.

Begun in 2009, Solar Day is a national and international day of recognition of solar energy, clean technology, energy independence, sustainability and protection of the planet. Events are being planned in many cities by organizations and companies and the website will provide information and resources including a clickable map will take you to individual state pages. It’s not up yet but keep checking.

In preparation for the festivities, Solar Day is offering energy saving tips for your office as we move into the hot days of summer. Here’s an edited version. Read them all at http://www.solarday.com/cool-summer-office-tips

The bottom line of running a successful business is to make all your dollars count. Cutting back on unnecessary energy use keeps hard-earned money in your pocket. You should also check out the incentives and rebates available to you from your state and your local utility.

General Tips
    ⁃    Whenever possible don’t use large equipment during the peak hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
    ⁃    Turn equipment and lights off after hours.
Always choose ENERGY STAR® products whenever possible.
    ⁃    An energy audit might be the best investment you can make for your business.

    
Cooling and Ventilation Systems - Improve the Efficiency
    ⁃    Set the thermostat in your workspace to 78 degrees during work hours, and raise the setting to 85 degrees when the space is unoccupied.
    ⁃    Use a programmable thermostat and make it easy to adjust the settings.
    ⁃    Allow your workers to wear comfortable clothing during hot weather. It makes little sense to keep a room cold enough that workers must wear suits and coats.

Install window film, solar screens or awning in south and west facing windows
    ⁃    Solar control window films applied to existing glass in windows and doors is an effective method to reduce peak demand during hot months and conserve energy.
    ⁃    Install ceiling fans - they make it feel at least four degrees cooler during the summer.
When buying new cooling and ventilation units - choose ENERGY STAR.

Lighting - The Right Light for the Right Task
    ⁃    Use task lighting instead of overhead lighting, and light only those areas that are needed at the time.
    ⁃    Replace old fluorescent lights with newer, more efficient models with electronic ballasts.
    ⁃    Replace your high-use incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights.
    ⁃    Change out incandescent or fluorescent exit signs with LED exit signs.

Computers and Other Office Equipment
    ⁃    Turn off your computers and any other office equipment when you’re not using them, especially overnight and weekends. This practice costs nothing and can potentially save as much as $44 per year, per computer.
    ⁃    Choose settings that automatically switch the computer monitor into sleep or "power-down" mode when it hasn’t been worked on for a preset amount of time. Shorten the delay time before your monitor automatically goes into sleep mode.
    ⁃    Consider having employees use lap top computers since they use up to 90 percent less energy than a standard computer.