Reduce your Office Energy Consumption

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), "Energy efficiency offers a powerful and cost-effective tool for achieving a sustainable energy future. Improvements in energy efficiency can reduce the need for investment in energy infrastructure, cut fuel costs, increase competitiveness and improve consumer welfare. Environmental benefits can also be achieved by the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions and local air pollution."

A small business resource immediately available to business is energy efficiency in your workplace. As a sustainability consultant working with small businesses, I advise clients on the cost savings of energy efficiency.

As a professional consultant, I suggest, first establishing a baseline of consumption for benchmarking efforts. Areas to include: electricity, heating, water, waste, travel, and shipping.
Next, create an energy policy for the business. Using your consumption information, you may want to identify areas of improvement. Most think of infrastructure improvements, but consider operational and culture improvements as well. Also, consider the source of energy consumed: is it from renewable sources? Mixed? Wind?
Implement behavior and usage modifications. For instance, are devices connected to a power strip and unplugged at the end of the day? Is your office leveraging technology to go paperless? Is there an incentive to carpool or bike to work?
Measure and monitor your progress.

Energy efficient offices reduce energy consumption. They also educate and inform workers of best practices in reducing energy consumption that can be applied at home and in the community. Energy efficient businesses expand eco awareness and sustainability concepts from the workplace into the community for even greater energy savings.