Save Time and Money: Best Energy-Saving Practices in the Workplace

With U.S. businesses spending more than $141 billion on energy bills annually, it’s clear that energy usage impacts bottom-line profits. But what if a few simple measures could save your business up to 10% of that yearly expense? In other words, give your business a 10% boost.With U.S. businesses spending more than $141 billion on energy bills annually, it’s clear that energy usage impacts bottom-line profits. But what if a few simple measures could save your business up to 10% of that yearly expense?  

The answer is simple: use less energy at work. Indeed, energy-saving practices in the workplace can bring a competitive edge to a company. What’s more, over two-thirds of people prefer interacting with environmentally responsible firms and four in five workers would rather take a position with employers with green credentials.  

The time is now to implement energy-saving practices in the workplace, boost your bottom line, improve worker health, make your customers happy, and join the battle against climate change. 

How to Tackle Energy-Saving Practices in the Workplace

No matter what type of business you run, the first step is to create a plan that allows you to observe, implement, and monitor energy-saving practices. A motivated team requires data-driven results to understand their efforts. 

While office buildings have higher energy usage than almost any other type of commercial building, you can still benefit from these energy-saving tips. Fortunately, many eco-friendly behaviors involve small changes that can substantially reduce energy bills and energy usage.  

Workplace Energy-Saving Practices: The Team

We recommend forming a dedicated energy-saving team consisting of: 

• An energy team leader to organize goals, monitor performance, and track the progress of your energy-saving program. They’ll need to liaise with everyone from senior management to workers. 
• A dedicated energy team to implement energy-saving practices and help oversee and track performance. 

No one has to be an energy expert to take part. They need only show a willingness to help save energy and perhaps learn or utilize existing monitoring and management skills. 

Workplace Energy-Saving Practices: The Plan

A successful program requires a successful plan. Write an energy policy that clearly establishes your company’s energy-saving objectives, people’s roles, and performance goals. Be flexible enough to evaluate and change policy if needed. 

You’ll need commitment. Nothing encourages teams more than being part of a bigger picture. Joining Energy Star’s Small Business Network is a significant step. Going public with your realistic targets and initiatives is also a motivating tool. 

But before shouting from the rooftops about your sustainability credentials, you’ll need to know how energy-efficient your company already is or isn’t. 

Preparing for Energy Saving in the Workplace

Your energy team must understand your firm’s current energy costs. You cannot set goals or manage something you can’t measure. Here are the steps you can take: 

• Assess your company’s current energy usage for natural gas and electricity bills. Go back at least a year, or longer if possible, to assess trends. 
• Consider hiring a professional auditor for a complete energy audit of the premises. Alternatively, get your energy team to review current practices. Count how many appliances are plugged in and which are on standby and estimate their monthly energy usage. 
• Install smart meters and connect appliances to the Internet of Things (IoT) to get real-time and long-term overviews of where energy is used and wasted. Companies like WatchWire can assist with the software as you journey towards net-zero emissions. 
• Compile reports on this information and share it throughout the company. Energy bills often arrive monthly — consider a monthly briefing highlighting energy saved. 
• Remember that people may respond better to their efforts being framed as eco-friendly rather than just dollars and cents. Saving 1,000 trees and reducing a company’s carbon footprint sounds better than employees having saved the firm $1,000 this month. 
• Don’t be afraid to post friendly reminders and incentives about green habits throughout the workplace, such as remembering to recycle or switching off the lights. 
• Keep communication channels open. Workers don’t appreciate the feeling of being talked down to all the time; ask for energy-saving ideas and keep conversations open. 

Energy-Saving Practices in the Workplace Explained

There are several ways to approach energy-saving practices in the workplace. Remember that you’ll need to know your current energy usage and costs to be able to show employees how their actions are helping. 

Energy management is not just about behavioral changes. Old appliances and machinery are among the most energy-sapping elements within the work environment. That old copy machine in the corner? Around 70% of its total energy consumption comes from it being on standby. But the copier is not the prime target. 

Let’s go through the workplace and highlight how and where to reduce your company’s energy usage, no matter the building’s size or occupancy levels. 

Big Energy Savers: Heating and Water

Space heating accounts for 32% of a commercial building’s total energy use, with 10% going to a workspace’s ventilation requirements. That’s almost half of a business energy bill going towards ambient temperature. 

You can’t keep everyone happy no matter what temperature you set the thermostat. A programmable energy-saving thermostat is perfect for keeping agreed-upon heating and cooling levels. Try 78 degrees Fahrenheit for summer cooling and 68 degrees Fahrenheit for winter heating. Timers can turn off heating or cooling when the workday is over. 

A programmable thermostat means greater control, especially when a workspace is empty. Don’t heat rooms unnecessarily and only heat or cool them before and during use. 

Another energy-saving practice in the workplace: Ensure people keep windows closed when the air conditioning or HVAC is working, or else all that cooling or heating energy (and cost) is just floating out the window. Remind people to adjust the thermostat accordingly before opening windows. Designate someone to check that windows are closed at the end of the day plus that wall, floor, and ceiling vents are obstruction-free. Such actions also help improve air quality in the building. 

Similarly, assess how natural lighting heats or cools workspaces. During summer, curtains, shades, and blinds block sunlight and keep room temperatures lower. In winter, they help keep the warmth inside. Both techniques mean less work for your heating and cooling systems, cutting energy usage. 

Always keep HVACs and air conditioning units in good working order with regular services by professionals. Make sure office furniture isn’t blocking vents or radiators, a classic issue when people leave meeting rooms quickly and return to their desks. Proximity to radiators and vents can also make workers feel too hot or cold, which is not ideal for a working environment. 

Block any drafts, seal airleaks around windows and doors, and ensure all possible drafty areas are caulked or weather-stripped. 

A programmable thermostat also works well for the water heater. For example, lower the hot water temperature to 100 degrees Fahrenheit if you only use water for washing hands. 

Lighting and Energy Efficiency in the Workplace

Lighting accounts for 10% of a company’s utility bill. With a flick of a switch, you’ll be helping reduce your firm’s energy usage. Here’s how: 

• Replace inefficient halogen bulbs with energy-efficient light bulbs. LED lights are best, using 75% less energy and lasting up to 30 times longer than halogens. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) use 70% less energy than halogens and last 10 times longer. 
• Post signage reminders to switch off lights in unused rooms.  
• Motion sensors are perfect for keeping lights off except when in use. Occupancy sensors can save up to 30% on lighting bills.  
• Use natural light and brightly painted walls to illuminate rooms as much as possible, reducing the need for artificial lighting. 
• Move workstations to well-lit areas. 
• Timer switches can turn off lighting outside of working hours. 
• Clever use of dimmers and task lights like lamps means you only use the lighting required. 

Energy-Saving Practices for Equipment Within the Workplace

Energy Star, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, promotes energy efficiency. It assesses household and commercial equipment for energy-saving capabilities, among other services. In fact, Energy Star-certified buildings emit 35% fewer greenhouse gases than those without the accreditation. You may even be able to claim tax credits or rebates when buying Energy Star-approved appliances. 

Check old appliances for their energy usage as they could be a real drain on resources. Replacing them with Energy Star-approved items will help with long-term savings. Check everything from fridges to computers.  

And remember that standby mode most likely means you’ll be standing by, watching your dollars fly into your electric company’s coffers as your appliances continue guzzling energy. 

Here are some other ways to reduce office equipment’s energy use and avoid energy vampires: 

• Switch desktop computers for more energy-efficient laptops, which use around 80% less electricity. 
• Ensure employees use power-saving settings on computer equipment so it powers down when they’re away from their desks. 
• Power strips can turn off multiple office equipment devices in one stroke. That’s perfect for the person on the energy team who could go around the office, ensuring all unused appliances are switched off. A sticker system can help employees keep track of what can and can’t be turned off. 
• Turn off any machinery at the end of the day and during breaks and lunchtime, if possible. 
• Automatic doors in buildings with high foot traffic can reduce heating or cooling escaping out the entrance. 
• Stop fridges becoming overloaded; they work best around two-thirds full, which is particularly important if people open the door regularly. 
• Boil only as much water as needed in kettles. 
• Adopt paperless workflows to reduce the need for natural resources. 
• Buy copy machines with advanced power management and low standby features. 
• Insulate heating and water pipes. 
• Set a maintenance and revision schedule for appliances, heating, and cooling systems. 

Turning Your Workplace into an Energy Hub

Saving energy is one thing a business can do. It could also create energy, reducing emissions and moving towards energy independence. 

Many buildings are perfect for solar panels, which could power the company, charge electric vehicles, heat the water, and much more. Alternatively, small wind turbines can produce renewable energy for direct use or a mini-hydropower plant. 

Sustainable ideas like cool roofs and rooftop gardens will further a company’s eco-friendly appeal. They may also improve the area’s air quality, boost employee morale, and play its part in the battle against climate change. 

The Best Time to Start Energy-Saving Practices in the Workplace Is Now

Companies across Texas and the United States are ripe to start adopting energy-saving practices in the workplace. With up to 10% savings on energy bills available, that’s a sizable amount that will impact the bottom line and help reduce carbon emissions. 

Ideas range from small behavioral changes like switching off lights to more straightforward energy-efficiency measures such as buying LED lights to replace halogen light bulbs. Regular equipment maintenance and renewal take it up a level, with larger purchases like a new HVAC system for those looking longer term. 

But unlike most good things, you’ll need to put in some work to boost your bottom line and eco-friendly attributes. A professional energy audit is well worth the investment to identify precisely how and where your company can improve its relationship with energy. Create an energy-savings team with a leader, schedule, and goals to ensure that energy-saving practices remain in place. 

There’s a lot of help and support for businesses in Texas that want to reduce their carbon footprint. Small steps can help your company take a giant leap into the future. The time to act is now. 

Brought to you by energysavings.com

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