Powering an office building is costly. It makes maintaining your property and keeping things comfortable difficult. The balancing act of keeping your energy costs low and renters happy is highlighted when trying to eliminate needless energy waste.
Energy Savings Tips For Office Buildings
While every office building has a unique energy use profile, here are a few general tips to reduce your power bill.
Let’s be honest: you work hard for your money. You don’t want to waste it on unnecessarily high energy bills.
1) Use Energy Efficient Lighting Systems
The most efficient way to reduce energy costs is using energy-efficient lighting systems. These lighting systems use less electricity and generate less heat, which means they cost you less money to run. They also last longer than standard incandescent bulbs, so you won’t have to replace them often.
- Installing LED lights in your office building can save up to 75% on lighting costs while providing high-quality lighting for employees and visitors alike.
- Install motion sensors in common areas, such as the lobby and hallways, so lights only come on when needed.
- Install LED lighting in your offices and hallways. They use less electricity than traditional bulbs and have a longer lifespan, which means they’ll save you money.
You can save money on your electricity bills by using energy-efficient lighting systems. These systems use less electricity than standard lighting, reducing the amount of money you pay to power your office building. As an added bonus, they also make your office building more environmentally friendly. They produce fewer carbon emissions and other pollutants that can harm the environment.
2) Use the One-Touch Power Switch
Did you know that the average office building can use more energy than a city? The good news is that you can reduce your building’s energy consumption by following simple steps.
When you leave a room, turn off the lights! This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to forget, especially in a building full of people.
This feature allows you to turn off power to all devices with one touch. By turning off devices that are not in use, you reduce the energy consumed by your office building.
- Smart Lights. A great deal of energy waste is due to carelessness. Perhaps the most common needless energy expenditure is the failure of building users to turn off lights.
Smart lights fight energy waste in two ways:
- Automatically dim when space is already being supplemented by sunlight.
- Automatically turning on and off.
Installing smart lights comes with unavoidable upfront costs; however, given the prevalence of light waste, they are likely to pay off in the long run.
Turning off computers overnight and while they’re not being used will help to reduce the amount of energy they use while idling. You can also set your computers to sleep mode or turn off your monitor after you are done working for the day.
In your office building, the one-touch power switch is a great way to save energy. By setting the switch to “off” when you’re not using electricity, you can save up to 10% on your electricity bill.
3) Install Solar Panels
If you’re looking to save money and be more environmentally friendly, it’s time to consider installing solar panels at your office. Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. It’s also one of the most cost-effective ways to decrease your carbon footprint.
If you’re an office building owner, there are a few reasons it makes sense for you to take advantage of this opportunity:
- Solar panels are an investment. As a result, you’ll see savings in electricity costs, which means you’ll have more cash in your pocket each month!
- Solar panels are easy to use and maintain.
- Installing solar panels will reduce your carbon footprint, which is good for everyone!
If you’re a business owner, you know your company’s energy bill is one of the largest expenses on your budget. You also know reducing this expense can help your bottom line and help the environment. With the help of solar power, you can reduce the amount of electricity you use from the grid and produce more of it yourself. This helps keep your utility costs down while lowering CO2 emissions and helping to reduce climate change. It’s a win-win!
One way to get started with solar power is by installing solar panels on top of your office building, carports, or warehouse. Solar panels are designed to absorb energy from the sun and convert it into clean electricity for use in your building or home. Many different types of solar panel systems are available today. With varying efficiency and cost-effectiveness levels depending on where they’re installed. For example, rooftop vs. ground-mounted. Undoubtedly, investing in solar panels will help lower those monthly bills even further!
4) Stress the Importance of Good Energy Saving Habits
To improve the energy efficiency of your office building, you and your employees must be aware of the importance of good energy-saving habits. Not only will this help you save money, but it will also reduce emissions that are harmful to the environment.
The first step in implementing an effective energy-saving strategy is to educate everyone on board. This will help them understand the importance of their actions and how they can contribute to achieving a greener environment. You should ensure all staff members know how they can contribute to reducing their carbon footprint by using less energy at work.
They should also understand how they can save money by making small changes such as:
- turning off lights when not in use
- turning down thermostats during off-peak hours (such as nights or weekends).
Letting your employees and renters know the importance of efficient energy utilization can make an impact.
Encouraging your renters and employees to do simple things like avoid obstructing HVAC vents with furniture or turning lights off when not in use can go a long way. Of course, there’s a fine line between respectfully communicating the importance of energy savings to your renters and being overbearing. However, walking that line can create a better working environment for them and lower your costs.
- Use Fans. Instead of air conditioning units, when possible, use fans. Fans can cool people down more quickly than an AC.
- Use Natural Light Whenever Possible. Rather than using artificial light during daytime hours, let natural light into your building whenever possible. This will lower energy use without sacrificing productivity or comfort levels for employees and visitors.
- Turn Down Your Temperature. Adjusting the temperature in your office building can help reduce energy consumption by up to 10%. In addition, keeping your temperature at a consistent level can lower the risk of employee discomfort and increase productivity.
- Shade. Overlooking the power of shade when working towards cutting energy costs is a mistake. Protecting your building from sunlight is a simple and relatively cheap energy-saving solution. Installing shades or blinds reduces the strain on your air conditioning system. Placing trees and landscaping in sun-facing areas can also help produce shade in the right spots. Another way to help keep your building cool without running up your HVAC bill is through window tinting.
5) Understand Your Building’s Energy Use Profile
Knowing how your energy bill is racking up is the first step in reversing the trend. There are a host of tools for building owners to track energy usage. However, which tools you elect to incorporate into the management of your property should be based on the amount of energy it consumes. From installing smart thermostats to hiring dedicated technicians to monitor consumption, understanding your energy use can be a huge cost saver.
6) Considering Your HVAC System
Ensure Your Building’s Ventilation System Is Unobstructed. Making sure your existing heating and cooling system operates at peak efficiency is a no-brainer. Dirty heating and cooling coils frequently cause inefficiency in HVAC systems. Check to ensure your coils are in good operating condition. If they are not, clean them to get them in working order.
Similarly, air handling unit filters frequently become clogged, reducing the effectiveness of your HVAC system. Replacing clogged filters is an easy and quick way to improve your HVAC’s efficiency, thereby reducing energy expenditure. Furniture is also a common culprit in HVAC vent obstruction. Therefore, avoiding having furniture block vents is a simple way to reduce energy consumption.
New commercial HVAC units: While it might seem intimidating, getting a new HVAC system, is often the best thing you can do to reduce energy costs. There is a good chance that your building is not equipped with an efficient HVAC system. Your HVAC system will likely account for over half of your building’s net energy consumption. While getting a new HVAC system has upfront costs, in the long run, the amount you’ll save will trump the cost of the system.
Managing large properties is tough, and office spaces are no exception.
Keeping energy consumption low is one significant way to minimize expenses. While there is no cure-all solution to a back-breaking power bill, taking several deliberate steps to reduce consumption in unison can yield considerable savings.
The Cooling Company can help you with energy-saving tips for your office building. We know you have a lot of things to worry about when it comes to keeping your business running smoothly, which is why we are here to help! We will take care of all the details so that you can focus on what matters most, your customers.
We offer many different packages that include:
- Service agreements
- Equipment maintenance contracts (parts and labor)
- Emergency response service plans
- Complete system designs and installation
Whether you’re looking to reduce your energy costs or simply make your building more comfortable, The Cooling Company can help. We specialize in HVAC solutions that keep your office buildings running efficiently and comfortably. If you run an office building, you know how important it is to keep that building cool. However, keeping your office at the right temperature can be expensive. Thankfully, there are things The Cooling Company can do to save you money on your cooling bill and help the environment simultaneously. Contact us today!
