Energy Conservation

Energy-Saving Tips for Businesses

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Employees and Environment

• To maximize the energy savings and its overall benefits to your company, implement a comprehensive facility energy and environmental-management program. Keep score on your energy use, emission and waste. Establish a commitment from the CEO or COO to develop a corporate energy plan. Designate an overall energy manager who will have responsibility for comprehensive energy improvements and will set specific targets to achieve your efficiency goals.

• Explore reducing energy through increased use of the Internet. As an extremely effective communication tool, the Internet has the potential to help manufacturers save energy in a variety of ways. An Internet-based, energy-management system can provide more precise control of energy use throughout a plant or office. Such a system may be especially useful for multi-site manufacturers seeking to consolidate energy procurement across several states or regions. Transportation energy also may be saved by using the Internet for video conferencing.

• Create a teleworking policy, and encourage employees to telework.

• Enlist tenants and employees in the effort to save energy. Communicate the need to manage individual and collective energy use through posters, employee/tenant newsletters, group e-mails, etc.

• Minimize energy usage during the peak demand hours of 5 till 9 a.m. and 4 till 7 p.m. If possible, shift high energy use tasks to non-peak hours.

Office Equipment

• Disconnect unnecessary or unused equipment.

• Turn off PCs, monitors, printers, fax machines and copiers every night and weekend, and when not in use or not needed. If you cannot turn off the entire computer, turn off the monitor and the printer.

• Connect PCs, monitors, fax machines and computer "peripherals" to one power strip, and then turn off that power strip when not in use and every night.

• Turn computers, copiers and other office equipment to low-power standby mode when not in use.

• Disable the screensaver on your monitor, and enable the power management tool on your PC.

• If appropriate, use laptop computers -- they consume 90% less energy than standard desktop computers.

• If appropriate, use ink-jet printers -- they consume 90% less energy than laser printers.

• Implement paper-reducing strategies such as double-sided printing and reusing paper.

• Use email instead of sending memos and faxing documents.

• Purchase appropriately sized copiers for your company's needs.

• Replace CRT monitors for computers with LCD units.

• Buy ENERGY STAR PCs, monitors, printers, fax machines, and copiers.

Lighting

• Turn off unneeded and unnecessary lighting, especially in unused offices, conference rooms, restrooms, copy rooms, break rooms, storage rooms, and internal spaces not in frequent/constant use (backrooms).

• Turn off perimeter lighting circuits near windows (take advantage of daylight), task lights in office areas when not needed, holiday displays and permanent decorative lighting.

• Control lighting with motion detectors, especially in conference rooms, restrooms and copy rooms.

• Turn off unnecessary external lighting, particularly in the daytime. Examples include architectural feature lighting and displays. Leave security lighting on.

• Use outdoor lights with a photocell unit or a timer so they will turn off during the day.

• Turn off decorative outdoor gas lamps; just eight gas lamps burning year round use as much natural gas as it takes to heat an average-size home during an entire winter.

• Remove excess lights. Many older office and warehouse buildings have more lighting then needed. In many areas, half the lights may be sufficient to light the area. When removing excess fluorescent tubes, remember to disconnect the ballasts that serve them.

• Remove any unnecessary lighting for track and recessed lighting; using only the number of bulbs needed to light an area. Three bulbs can usually do the same job as four if they are positioned accurately.

• Consider removing excess fluorescent lights and installing reflectors.

• Buy ENERGY STAR lights. Retrofit incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs. Seventy percent of what comes off the 100-watt bulb is heat, not light.

• Exterior lighting is one of the best places to use CFLs because of their long life. If you live in a cold climate, be sure to buy a lamp with a cold-weather ballast.

• Retrofit T12 lights with magnetic ballasts to T8 lights with electronic ballasts.

• Retrofit incandescent or fluorescent exit signs with long-lasting, low-energy LED exit signs.

• Install separate switches for smaller areas. Often in large buildings, dozens of lights are controlled by a single switch, and not all of them need to be on. These lights can be rewired into smaller groups of lights on independent switches. This way only those that are needed can be turned on.

• Use task lighting. If you're working diligently at a desk or workbench, other light in the room could be turned off or dimmed.

• Clean dusty light bulbs, lamps and diffusers every 6-12 months. Dirty, greasy, smoky light bulbs can reduce light output by as much as 10 percent. You'll avoid the tendency of switching to a stronger bulb, which will use more energy.

• Adjust building housekeeping and custodial maintenance routines to minimize after hours lighting.

• Paint and decorate in light colors. Dark colors absorb light. Light colors reflect light. The lighter the colors you use, the less artificial lighting is required to illuminate the area.

• Check your lamp shades. Many shades are decorative but absorb light or reflect it in the wrong direction. You may consider switching to a more efficient shade in a lighter color.

Heating, Ventilating, and Cooling

• As at home, lower the thermostat to 68 degrees or less. You can save five percent on heating bills for every one degree you lower your thermostat. For optimal energy savings, set thermostats at 78 degrees F for cooling in the summer and 68 degrees F for heating in the winter.

• Install time clocks or setback-programmable thermostats to maximize efficiency.

• Adjust thermostats when space is unoccupied.

• Install locking covers on your thermostats to prevent employee tampering with temperature settings.

• Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed, and make they are not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.

• Reduce your building hours of operation for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (Adjust building control systems as necessary to do this.).

• Replace furnace filters once a month. Dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy use. Keep your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted. Savings up to 5% of heating costs.

• Regularly inspect and clean both the indoor and outdoor coils of your air conditioner. Dirt build-up on your coils is the single most common cause of poor efficiency.

• Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season; if in doubt about how to perform this task, call a professional.

• Consider installing an air conditioning economizer to bring in outside air when cool outside.

• Select energy-efficient equipment when you buy new heating and cooling equipment. Look for high Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings and the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The national minimums are 78% AFUE and 10 SEER.

• Install ceiling fans to circulate heated air. Since warm air rises, it tends to be trapped in the highest areas of your office. A ceiling or portable fan running at a very low speed can help distribute warm air more evenly and reduce the desire to turn the heat up.

• Install blinds, awnings, reflective window film, or solar screen shades on windows (particulary those facing south and west) to cool the office.

• Close shades or blinds during early morning and late evening to reduce solar insolation heat gain.

• Use drapes or blinds to reduce radiant heat in the summer and increase it in wintertime

• Install storm windows over single-pane windows or replace them with double-pane windows, beginning with the most frequently used rooms. Storm windows as much as double the R-value of single-pane windows and they can help reduce drafts, water condensation, and frost formation.

• When you are shopping for windows, choose Energy Star¨ windows to reduce your heating and cooling costs by up to 15 percent. Also look for the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) label; it means the window's performance is certified.

• Trees that lose their leaves in the fall (i.e., deciduous) are the most effective at reducing heating and cooling energy costs. When selectively placed around a building, they provide excellent protection from the summer sun but permit winter sunlight to reach and warm your house. The height, growth rate, branch spread, and shape are all factors to consider in choosing a tree.

• Vines provide shading and cooling. Grown on trellises, vines can shade windows or the whole side of a building.

• Install ceiling and wall insulation.

• Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.

• Caulk and weatherstrip around doors, windows, through-the-wall or window type HVAC units, electrical outlets, plumbing fixtures, and outside architectural features like chimneys.

• Check your heating and cooling system and ducts for air leaks. First look for sections that should be joined but have separated and then look for obvious holes.

• If you use duct tape to repair and seal your ducts, look for tape with the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) logo to avoid tape that degrades, cracks, and loses its bond with age.

• Install rubber gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on exterior wall

• Enter and exit quickly. Every time an exterior door opens, a large amount of heat escapes, and cold air replaces it. Open outside doors as little as possible, and when you do, do so quickly. You also can use this as an excuse to send door-to-door solicitors on their way.

• Use rotating doors. If there's a choice in your building, use rotating doors instead of standard hinged or sliding doors. They allow less heat to escape.

• Open freight doors only when needed. When trucks are actively being loaded or unloaded, leave the doors open. As soon as the job is done, close the doors to conserve energy.

• Reduce heating costs by closing a door to an unoccupied room or area that is isolated from the rest of the office.

• Install timers on bathroom heat lamps and consider connecting bathroom exhaust fans to light switches to reduce excessive operation.

Water Reduction

• Use water-reduction equipment and practices. Saving water leads to energy savings: Reducing water use decreases the energy needed to pump, heat or chill water.

• Repair leaky water fixtures and toilets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period.

• Install nonaerating low-flow faucets and showerheads.

• Insulate your hot-water storage tank and supply pipes.

• Buy a new, energy-efficient water heater. While it may cost more initially than a standard water heater, the energy savings will continue during the lifetime of the appliance.

• Lower the thermostat on the water heater to 115 degrees F. This is an optimal level for safety and savings, and provides comfortable hot water for most uses.

• Drain a quart of water from your water tank every 3 months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater.

• If you heat with electricity, consider installing a solar water heater.

• Install closed-loop systems that will enable water to be used over and over.

• Be sure to place the faucet lever on sinks in the cold position when using small amounts of water; placing the lever in the hot position uses energy to heat the water even though it never reaches the faucet.

Appliances/Refrigeration

• A 20-year-old refrigerator lacks many of the modern conveniences current models offer, but, more importantly, it uses nearly twice as much energy. Recycle or donate the old refrigerator to a charity and purchase an energy efficient model. This allows for a tax write-off, lower electric bills, and ice cubes on demand.

• Maintain the right temperature in your refrigerators and freezers. The refrigerator should be set between 38¼F (3¼C) and 42¼F (6¼C). The freezer should be set between 0¼F (-31¼C) and 5¼F (-26¼C).

• Keep refrigerator evaporator coils clean and free of ice build-up. Dust can build up and cause the refrigerator motor to work harder.

• Keep refrigerators full (water jugs make good fillers).

• Look for a refrigerator with automatic moisture control. Models with this feature have been engineered to prevent moisture accumulation on the cabinet exterior without the addition of a heater. This is not the same thing as an "anti-sweat" heater. Models with an anti-sweat heater will consume 5% to 10% more energy than models without this feature.

• Disconnect anti-condensate ("anti-sweat") heaters.

• Regularly defrost manual-defrost refrigerators and freezers; frost buildup increases the amount of energy needed to keep the motor running. Don't allow frost to build up to more than .25 inches thick.

• Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight.

• Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.

• Install auto door-closers and strip curtains on walk-in freezers or coolers.

• If you need to purchase a gas oven or range, look for one with an automatic, electric ignition system. An electrici gnition saves gas-because a pilot light is not burning continuously.

• In gas appliances, look for blue flames; yellow flames indicate the gas is burning inefficiently and an adjustment may be needed. Consult your manufacturer or your local utility.

• Keep range-top burners and reflectors clean; they will reflect the heat better, and you will save energy.

• Purchase insulated cooking equipment whenever possible (e.g., fryers, ovens, coffee machines). Insulation maintains more heat in the equipment and transmits less to the environment.

• Perform scheduled maintenance on all appliances.