The world has turned digital, and technology has presented us with all kinds of tools and gadgets. While these inventions may help in making work easier for entrepreneurs and business owners, they do leave a trail of high electric bills. Research conducted reveals that office equipment accounts for about 7% of all commercial electricity consumed. This is approximately $1.8 billion every year.
But this does not have to be your story. You can break away from the norm and get lower energy bills every week or month. How do you do it? The list below reveals the steps and practices that will help you create an energy-efficient office.
Switch to Laptop Use
Laptops have everything going on for them. They are lighter and portable. But somehow, business owners seem stuck with desktops. Desktops consume 80% more energy than laptops. As a result, businesses that prefer laptop use for desktops greatly save on energy.
Set All Electronics to Sleep Mode
Copiers, printers, fax machines and computers are currently designed with sleep or power save mode settings. With this setting, they go into an energy saving mode when they are not used for a predefined number of minutes. While in the power saving mode, they consume 70% less energy compared to when they are at full power.
There are those that automatically turn themselves into power saving mode and there are those that you might have to set manually. Regardless, you will want your electronics to go into power saving mode after 15 minutes of idling or even less.
Shut Down at Night
This is a no-brainer, right? But can you say in all honesty that you remember to shut down your electronics for the night? Very few persons shut down their electronics, forgetting the financial implications of their ignorance.
Invest in Power Strips
Most consumer electronics, office equipment included, are designed with phantom energy technology. As a result, they still use up electricity from the socket even when they have been turned off. You should consider investing in power strips and connecting electronics in clusters. This way, turning off the power strip effectively unplugs all electronics connected to it.
Prefer Small and New Model Refrigerators
Raise your hand if you believe old refrigerators save you energy and money. Sorry to burst your bubble, but old refrigerators are the worst. Your old refrigerator may be in good working condition but still cost you a whopping $300 a year in energy. All refrigerator models that came after 2001 of the same size will cost you $75 a year.
In addition to this, if you do not need a large fridge in the office, you should consider getting a mini fridge instead. This will reduce your energy costs to about $10 a year.
Invest in Energy-Star Qualified Products
This is a government labeling program that helps consumers make energy-wise buying decisions. Any and all office electronics should have the Energy Star label. Any electronics with this label will use about 20% less than the standard model. In addition to this, many of the Energy Star qualified electronics go into power saving mode automatically.
When you consider these crucial steps, you will be in a position to see significant energy savings in the coming months. While most business persons underestimate the small things in the office, be one of the smart entrepreneurs and save every little penny from your business.