Continuing with our series exploring the One Planet Living principles, the principle of “zero carbon energy” takes the spotlight this month. This principle endorses making buildings energy efficient and supplying all energy with renewable’s.
Businesses committed to One Planet Living set the following goals with respects to zero carbon energy:
- To help customers save energy and reduce carbon emissions.
- To make all operations and supply chains energy efficient.
- To power all operations and supply chain through renewable energy.
One Planet businesses always look to ensure that their buildings, manufacturing facilities, and operations are as energy efficient as possible. This does become challenging if the business is leasing its building, however it strives to engage with its landlord as well as other businesses that may be sharing the building, to maximize energy efficiency. Importantly, the business encourages energy conscious behaviour amongst its staff.
Wondering how to make your business more energy efficient and sustainable without having to invest in renewable energy solutions?
Here are a few simple ways you can save energy within the workplace:
- Use natural light wherever possible – It’s free and can instantly cheer up a drab office and the staff working in it.
- Choose energy efficient light bulbs – You can also replace bulbs with CFL or LED lights. They use less power (think lower electricity bills) and last longer.
- Choose laptops over desktops – Laptops use less energy than those bulky desktops. Smaller monitors also use less energy, keep this in mind when choosing screens for your staff.
- Switch to sleep mode – Make use of the energy saving features on all your devices – laptops, desktops and printers.
- Upgrade outdated equipment – Old equipment uses energy inefficiently. When replacing old devices, make sure you purchase devices that have energy efficient features.
- Do an energy audit – Energy companies can undertake an energy audit at your office to determine whether you are using too much energy, or just enough to sustain the business.
- Switch off appliances when not in use – Air conditioners, coffee machines, printers included.
- Print only when necessary – Printers consume more energy than you may realize. Apart from reducing paper waste, it will help reduce the amount of energy consumed by the printer.
- Ignore those aircon wars – We know that aircon wars are a controversial topic, but HVAC systems consume a copious amount of energy. If you must use the aircon, make sure that there isn’t a drastic difference between the temperature outside and the temperature in the office.
- Promote sustainability within the workplace – Changing user behaviour is key to becoming more energy efficient. Start small by sending out an emailer reminder to all staff to check if their computers are unplugged before leaving the office for example.
Making the move towards zero carbon energy may sound big and scary, but it’s all about getting started somewhere. Why not try implementing the above tips at your office – you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
For more information about our Sustainability offerings, contact us today.
