Corporates are perhaps the biggest energy wasters in the modern world. Massive office parks the world over are sapping copious amounts of electricity for at least eight hours a day of a five day week. This is why it’s becoming more essential to go green in the office space, to not only reduce the environmental impact of energy consumption, but to also save money and optimise the working environment for employees. Here are a few tips to help you create a more environmentally friendly working space:
Choosing to go green in your business doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, you just have to be innovative
There are many ways to cut down on your electricity usage that won’t have you slimming down the executives’ bonuses. Unlike a residential home, offices rarely require hot water. There should be no need for an energy-sucking geyser. All you need is some hot water to wash dishes with. One of the best ways to go green with hot water usage in the office, is to install an instant water heater, like one of these. Get hot water on demand without a continual amount of electricity. Further reduce energy consumption by putting up a notice above the kettle to encourage employees to only boil enough water for their cup of coffee or tea.
Change up the lighting in your office to minimise your electricity usage and costs
Offices use artificial light, and a lot of it, to enable staff to carry out their daily tasks. It should be your first priority to optimise natural light as much as possible – installing skylights and increasing window size are a few ways to do this. Unfortunately, your office probably has some areas that face away from the sun and do have to be lit with artificial light. You can still go green with lighting – just make sure you opt for the eco-friendly alternative – LED lights. Although it can be costly, you can install LED lights gradually, one area at a time. If you really want to go all out (and have the budget to boot), you can invest in automatic lights that switch on and stay on, as long as someone is in the room. If this is not a feasible option for your business, encourage employees to switch off the lights when they’re not using the bathroom, kitchen or storeroom.
There is a lot of smart technology on the market to help optimise your efforts to go green
Technology developers are also gearing their products towards helping businesses reduce their carbon footprint. Investing in an automatic power shutdown device can greatly reduce energy wastage should the last employee out forget to switch off. Much like a hybrid vehicle, the shutdown device automatically disconnects the electricity feed to electrical plugs during out of office hours. They are easy to install and have proven to greatly reduce energy wastage from office devices like PCs, printers and the like.
Focus on insulating the office space with window film to minimise your electricity usage
The fight of the air conditioner is an ongoing one in every office across the globe. Every individual has their own comfortable temperature, resulting in a tug of war for the aircon remote. Ridding your office of, or at least greatly minimising, air conditioner usage is a win-win for your pocket, the environment and your staff. But how do you keep maintain the office temperature? Simple really – insulate the glass in your building. Applying window film to all your windows helps to maintain a moderate temperature – keeping the interior cool in summer and warm during the cold winter months. Window film keeps out 95% of harmful UV rays while still allowing 93% of natural light to illuminate the office interior.
Window Art is dedicated to helping your business go green with our innovative, cost-effective and eco-friendly window film solutions. For ideas on how you can be more environmentally conscious in your office, download our free Green Building Guide.
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