Making your Workplace Energy Efficient

A couple of PCs left running throughout the night may seem like a good idea, but then when the power bill piles up it delivers a punch.

Interestingly enough, this is one issue that is often overlooked by many investors and top level managers when they go about setting up the workplace. A couple of PCs left running throughout the night may seem like a good idea, but then when the power bill piles up it delivers a punch. Financially, this can cripple you enough, but what about its more subtle effects? We all know the studies which show some power appliances can adversely affect the environment. Collectively they could be the air conditioners running in six floored building, or maybe the heat generated by a data center mainframe. The bottom line: a workplace utilizing energy more efficiently can really save a lot.

Using Energy Efficient Appliances
Appliances that do not shave off much power or consume too much current: these are the machines you should be looking at when you get to decide the kind of equipment your office space is to possess. Many managers think of the purchase costs that will pile in with appliances that consume less and ultimately cost more. This is where the long terms costs come in and often managers choose to bear the short term saving on purchase, thinking that they will replace the equipment later. Fans, lights, computer wires and chargers all fall within the bracket of equipment which should always be purchased with their consumption rate in mind. The thought of replacing the item later never truly works out.

Cutting use of the space
Larger offices pile up larger bills: this is one fact that won’t be changing anytime soon. In order to overcome the expense incurred by installing power for larger offices many employers prefer now using a larger workforce with smaller space. The trend of increasing land prices factors in this, but more importantly, managers see the expenses involved with keeping larger offices and all the equipment that go with them. Extra rooms means extra lights and extra air conditioners. Eliminate that and you possibly have a large number taken off your power consumption… the figures do add up.

Many employers are opting for workers who can telecommute or work from their own homes. Whilst some management practices question the efficacy of such an approach, it cannot be denied that it does at least mean lesser resource consumption at the workplace.

Vigorous maintenance
Installing the appliances and getting your offices running is just the beginning. Maintenance is important, that may seem like common sense, but you would be surprised to see how many complaints come in from offices with regards to worn out ACs, short circuiting switches, computer power supplies that burn out etc. Overheating, improper cleaning and spills come next in the list for most requests of repairs. All of these problems point at one common factor: neglect.

Screens left running at their highest brightness setting for extended hours consume power quickly and heat the plugs more. Similarly, leaving the AC on and running in an unused room overheats the AC and simply consumes power for no apparent reason. Proper maintenance of course means more than simply cleaning all the equipment.

• Periodic wire checks
• Battery life for laptops
• Luminosity checks
• Checking for leaks within ACs
• Overheating in power supplies
• Brightness control in screens

All fall within the kind of checks that should be administered regularly in order to keep power consumption efficient. In truth, a lot of these checks and balances not only minimize power costs but lead to a healthier working environment too and as the technological trend surges upwards in the midst of this decade, that is the kind of environment which every employer wants.