Energy saving advice for office-based companies

Our friends at The Carbon Trust offer great energy saving advice for office-based companies. Check out these no cost and low-cost tips that could help you save on your electricity costs:

• A computer and monitor left on 24 hours a day will cost around £45 a year. Switching them off out of hours and enabling standby features could reduce this to less than £10 a year and prolong the lifespan of equipment

• Switch off all equipment when not in use and enable power down modes. Office equipment left on standby during bank holidays and weekends could cost small and medium sized office-based businesses nearly £6,000 over the course of a year

• Place heat emitting equipment such as printers and photocopiers in a separate, naturally ventilated area with good airflow. This helps minimise air conditioning costs and excessive noise. Colder areas on the north side of buildings are ideal

• For internal printing, use a black and white printer. Set default printing to double-sided (duplex) and try to print in batches where possible to allow the machine to spend more time in standby than idling mode

• Consider upgrading existing PCs – some computers can simply be upgraded with newer, more energy efficient components. Alternatively, laptops tend to be more efficient than desktops and easier to use within an office environment

• Choose equipment that caters for current business needs and predicted requirements only. Do not over specify – high spec PCs with large screens and fast processors use more energy. Always take running costs into account as well as initial purchase cost

Further help

If you would like more energy saving advice for office-based companies, check out the Carbon Trust's guide.

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