With the rise of digital technology and our increasing reliance on computers and other devices, our reliance and consumption of electricity has skyrocketed. Everyone from sign-writers and retail stores to SEO agencies and accountants use some form of modern technology and therefore consume a significant amount of electricity.
However, power generation is a significant contributor to climate change and the destruction of our planet, so it’s important to take steps to minimise consumption wherever possible. In the rest of this article, I’ve looked at a few of my favourite ways to save power in the office – and don’t worry, they aren’t too hard!
Ensure Everything Is Switched Off at Night
The first and arguably easiest thing to do is to ensure everything is turned off or powered down at night when you leave the office. A huge percentage of office buildings leave their lights turned on 24/7, and this simply isn’t necessary at non-working hours, installing CCTV will work as great security and double as making sure everything else is being turned on at night.
I’d recommend implementing some sort of green office policy that outlines end of day procedures. Make sure your employees know that they should be turning the lights out and shutting their computers down before they leave for the day.
Use Low-Energy Lighting
On a similar note, it’s a great idea to install low-energy lighting that doesn’t consume significant amounts of electricity. Older-style incandescent lights tend to use a lot of power for a relatively low amount of light. Go for LED or UID lighting for maximum electricity consumption. These lights tend to last a lot longer than incandescent ones as well.
Use Cloud-Based Systems
If you have your own servers and/or data centres, it might be time to think about moving them to the cloud. Cloud-based storage is becoming increasingly popular and presents a highly secure, affordable option.
Recent studies suggest that some small businesses could consume up to 90% less electricity if they moved online. On top of this, less server maintenance would be required, and your IT team would be free to deal with more important issues.
Reduce Heating and Cooling
Heating and cooling your office space consumes incredible amounts of electricity. If the weather is nice outside, there’s generally no need to run the aircon or heater – consider opening the windows instead. Similarly, think about the following:
- Make sure you only run your climate control system when people are actually in the office. There’s no point heating an empty space overnight.
- Consider installing fans to help keep your office cool during the summer months. They use much less power than aircons.
- Don’t let anyone adjust the thermostat. Instead, put its control in the hands of one person – or even yourself if you’re usually present in the office.
Final Word
Reducing office power consumption may take a little thought, but it’s absolutely worth it if you manage to reduce your overall environmental footprint. Many people don’t realise just how much electricity they consume unnecessarily. Start by turning the lights out at night, reducing heating/cooling and moving your servers onto the cloud.
