IntelEfficient

There is growing receptivity in the workplace to the benefits of “going green.”  Businesses find that this can improve their bottom line.  Managers have discovered that it leads to higher employee morale.  More and more organizations are creating “green teams” to implement cost-cutting, planet-saving solutions in big and small ways.

One of the first steps you can take is to reduce your energy consumption.  While you may not be able to make building improvements, you can implement a number of policies to save energy.  It may sound like a no-brainer to turn off the lights when leaving the office, but this is far from the norm.  Peer pressure may be an effective motivator to gain compliance, but you can also install occupancy sensors to automatically turn lights on and off.  Here are some other key considerations:

• Turn off printers and faxes in off-hours
• Deploy a company-wide strategy to manage computer power use
• Use power strips to minimize loss from energy vampires
• Rely more on task lighting than overhead lighting
• Use compact florescent lights instead of incandescent bulbs
• Purchase ENERGY STAR office equipment
• Lower the thermostat in the winter. Read the rest of this entry »