There are many ways to make a business more environmentally friendly. This is not only responsible but will also save money. Even if you lease office space there are countless energy-saving changes such as using fluorescent lights or portable air conditioning.

Dim The Lights

Traditional lights are huge power users, yet are incredibly inefficient electronic devices. They use a lot of electricity plus much of that energy is wasted as heat, which also stresses the building’s cooling system. Replacing them with compact fluorescents is only one step in a full energy management system.

A better solution is to use fewer lights. Most offices are lit too brightly and taking out a few bulbs will leave plenty of illumination to work in while saving energy. Depending on the number and location of windows, many rooms don’t need additional illumination and lights can be turned off when the sun is shining in.

Another way to bring in more light is with skylights. Roof-mounted windows bring in better illumination than wall-mounted ones and the addition of a single skylight can slash your need for artificial lighting. Newer systems can pipe in light, allowing simulated skylights even on lower floors of a building.

Keep Your Cool

Next to lights your cooling system is your second largest energy hog. Raising the thermostat saves energy but using the system more efficiently will do even more.

Portable air conditioning allows you to cool local hot spots using less energy than cooling the entire building. While server room air conditioning is the most common use of these units, they can be used to control the temperature of any part of the building that gets unusually hot. Western facing offices that heat up in the afternoon or rooms near a commercial kitchen are examples of areas that can be cooled effectively with portable air conditioning.

The cheap blinds that most offices use on their windows block the sun’s light but don’t protect against heat very well. Invest in some high quality blinds or shades that provide significant insulation against the heat of direct sunlight. Used in conjunction with portable air conditioning, you have greater control over the temperature of your environment.

Find Other Ideas

Think about energy with everything you do and soon you will come up with your own ideas. For example, consider buying a new computer. Look at the size of the power supply and don’t get a system that is overpowered. Add an LCD monitor rather than a traditional CRT. They use less energy, put out less heat so create less demand on your portable air conditioning, and give workers more desk space. Plug that system into a power strip and shut it off completely at the end of the day rather than letting it go into low power mode and suck up energy when not in use.

These are just a few of the ways we can all make smart, energy-conscious decisions and run green.