Energy Saving Tips

 -- Energy Savings for Home-based or Commercial Offices --

* Today's article was written by: Sam Jones writes on environmental and green energy issues. He keeps an eye on energy suppliers and the cheapest electricity prices and to give his readers the latest information.

Your office, whether at work or at home, is probably not as energy-efficient as it could be. After all, most of us tend to run multiple lights for a brightly lit space, have a computer running all day and night, and keep several appliances - e.g., fax machines, phones, color printers - plugged in and running even when we don’t need them. Whether you are looking to cut your monthly energy expenses at home, or merely want to implement your green-living initiative at work, here are some tips to help you keep a more eco-friendly and energy-efficient office.

Computer Costs - Nowadays, no matter what line of work you are in, you probably use a computer in some professional fashion. Most companies now provide each employee with a desktop computer for their office. To be a little more green, try not only turning off the computer when you aren’t using it, but turn off the entire surge protector as well, as computers use a small amount of energy even when they aren’t turned on and just merely plugged in. If turning off the entire system is not an option, try just turning off the monitor. If you have a choice between using the provided desktop or a laptop from home, choose the laptop every time. Laptops use far less energy than traditional desktops.

Lighting Disasters - In your home office, you have the option to switch to eco-friendly light bulbs, or to rely on natural sunlight during the daytime hours. However, for those of you in a windowless office lit by fluorescent bulbs, your options when it comes to lowering energy consumption from lighting may be slimmer. Consider bringing a desktop lamp to work, and loading it with an eco-friendly energy-efficient bulb. Not only will this help you to be a little more green at work, but it will actually improve your mood at the office as well. Not only are fluorescents awful for the earth, but they have been found to lower morale and make you feel glum.

How You Commute - Some of you may be reading these tips and inwardly groaning, knowing that your boss will never let you power down your computer or bring in your own earth-friendly lighting. If that’s the case, you can still find ways to make your work habits a bit more green. First and foremost, change how you commute. So many workers opt to drive to work when there is a perfectly useful mode of public transportation available to them. If you can make the change to taking the bus or train, you will be making great leaps and bounds in your effort to be more green at work.

If you’ve been making little tweaks to your home-life in the hopes of being more eco-friendly, then congratulations. Hopefully, with these tips, you can go green at work as well. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to suggest some changes that your co-workers can adapt as well. With our collective eco-consciousness on the rise, people are more and more open to adapting green lifestyle choices. Be a pioneer at the office and start a green initiative at your job today.

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