Most office buildings are tremendously expensive to cool. The heat put out by computers, office machines, and the workers themselves can cause buildings to overheat even on cold days. Taking steps to use energy wisely will reduce utility costs and improve company profits.

Use Portable Air Conditioning
Central air conditioning units operate on the assumption that every part of a building needs equal cooling. In reality, that’s not true. Certain areas of a building are hotter than others and trying to keep everything equal creates islands of hot and cold air.

Server rooms almost always have their own cooling systems to augment the building’s main system and that same principle can be used in other areas. Supplement the central cooling system with portable air conditioning units in hot areas. These units deliver additional cold air where it is needed, so the main air conditioning unit can work less hard. Strategic placement of portable air conditioning creates a more even temperature throughout the building, making everyone more comfortable.

Stop The Leaks
It may not be a cutting edge technology, but the fact remains that the best way to keep a building cool is through caulking, weatherstripping and insulation. Most buildings have air leaks that let the cool air out, forcing central and portable air conditioning to work harder. Finding and sealing these leaks greatly reduces utility bills.

However finding them can be hard, especially in a large building. Contact an outside agency that is qualified to perform an energy audit. They can find areas that need attention, and typically can do the work as well. If you lease the building, contact the landlord about fixing the problems. Once these leaks are taken care of, you should see a significant reduction in utility bills immediately.

Control Heat Production
Rather than cooling, it’s better to not generate heat in the first place. There are three main sources of heat in a typical office building. One is people. The human body is surprisingly hot, especially when a lot of bodies are together, but there isn’t much you can do about that. You need workers to work.

A second source is electronic equipment. Computers, copiers, fax machines, printers and more belch heat into the room even when they are not being used. It may not seem like much, but it builds up quickly. Turn off any unused equipment. Don’t just let it go into low power mode, since that still uses power and therefore generates heat.

The third source is the building windows. Blinds can be closed to block not only light but heat from entering the building. These are most effective when the sun is shining directly in, of course, but if the outside temperature is hot, closed blinds also insulate the window so heat can’t into the building as easily.

These methods don’t take a large investment of time or money, and the lowered costs mean they pay for themselves quickly.