eco-officiency blog » Energy Saving

Save Money – Turn Computers off at Night

eco-officiency — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:00:35 +0000

More than 31 million of the country’s 104 million office computers are left on overnight. According to the campaign survey “across the nation, this adds up to more than $1.72 billion dollars and almost 15 million tons of CO2 emissions.”

It is a cost per employee of about $150 per year to power a computer overnight…essentially that is not being used. Implement an office campaign to turn computers off at night. Having trouble remembering? Set Outlook to send you a reminder every day 15 minutes before you typically leave.

Or entice your IT department to purchase an IT system that will do it for you such as Verdiem Software. This software allows for power management settings to be controlled by a central server system. Essentially it can turn off all computers in an organization at the same time.

Green Office Cleaning

eco-officiency — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:32:45 +0000

Most offices have a janitorial or custodial vendor who cleans offices. It is important to have your vendors support your organizations sustainability program.To encourage ‘green’ cleaning ask your vendor for the following;

Use green cleaning supplies. Make sure cleaning supplies are non-toxic and eco-friendly. Seventh Generation and All Green have a great line of cleaning products.
Turn off lights. Ask your janitorial staff to turn off all lights upon leaving the building. This supports accountability with this simple energy saving action.
Provide recycling and waste data. In order to improve recycling and waste management it is important to get data from your janitorial staff on the usage of receptacles along with rate of recycling. Make sure your janitorial staff is managing waste responsibly.

Get Festive with LED Holiday Lights

eco-officiency — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:08:05 +0000

As the holiday season approaches you may want to add some decorations around the office, as well as at home. One easy way to spread the holiday cheer while saving energy, and some company money, is to switch to LED (light emitting diode) holiday lights. LED lights are an alternative to conventional incandescent holiday lights and are gaining popularity and availability. Though still more expensive than conventional lights, LEDs offer a number of benefits that not only outweigh the cost, but actually may make them cheaper in the long run. Some stores are offering a take back program, where they will take your old holiday lights, recycle them, and give you a discount on new LED lights.

Benefits of LED lights:

90% more energy efficient – saving you money on the utility bill
When one bulb goes out, the others stay lit
Unlike incandescent bulbs, LEDs are cool to the touch
LEDs are more durable and less likely to break
Pricewise, LEDs cost about five times as much as incandescents upfront. But their life span is 50,000 hours, instead of 1,000-2,000 hours for incandescents. That means if you lit the LEDs for 45 days each year, 24 hours a day, it would take 46 years for them to dim.

For more information visit this site on Holiday Lights: