Business Energy-Saving Tips

Wondering where to begin to save energy at your company? Check out the dozens of tips below for lighting.

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Energy-Saving Tips at Work

There are many simple things you can do to save energy and money at work. Some of these are low- or no-cost, while many others qualify for cash incentives from Efficiency Maine.

Lighting

• Turn off lights (and other equipment) when not in use—even for just a few minutes.
• Install occupancy sensor switches in seldom-occupied areas like closets, storage areas, and conference rooms—any area/room where people may forget to turn out the lights.
• Adjust lighting levels to match needs. Remove unneeded lamps, ballasts, and/or fixtures. Check current lighting levels against IES-recommended levels. Use lower levels of general lighting and more task lighting to directly illuminate work areas and reduce computer screen glare.
• Make use of free daylighting, where possible. Turn off or dim lights when daylighting is available, or use automatic dimming controls. Use high-reflectance ceiling tiles and light colors on walls, partitions, and carpeting to carry daylight into interior space.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents (CFLs) wherever possible. CFLs use less than half the energy and last 10-12 times as long, saving on replacement bulb cost and labor.
• Replace incandescent and fluorescent exit signs with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or the latest solid-state technology. LED exit signs use about 1/10th the energy of an incandescent bulb. Plus they can last for 100,000 hours!
• Schedule cleaning services during the day. If you must clean the building at night, turn on lights only as needed.
• Replace T-12 fluorescent fixtures with energy saving T-8 fixtures and electronic ballasts. Design the new system for the lighting level needed for the building use, using IES standards. Use parabolic reflectors to reduce glare. Supplement with task lighting.
• Install controls on exterior lighting. Install motion sensors, time clocks, or photoelectric sensors on exterior parking lots and security lighting.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems

• Give your HVAC system a pre-season tune-up. HVAC system performance declines without regular maintenance. Have cooling systems checked every spring, heating units every fall. Treat water in evaporative condensers regularly. Ask your HVAC contractor about an annual maintenance contract. You will save money and be more comfortable.
• Use free cooling. Install economizers to use outdoor air for cooling when outdoor temperatures are lower than indoors.
• Install ENERGY STAR ceiling fans to create air movement. Air temperatures can vary up to 5 degrees F between floors and ceilings. Moving air also feels cooler due to convective cooling.
• Set thermostats higher at 78 degrees F or higher during the cooling season. Turn A/C systems off when the building is unoccupied and back on one hour before the start of business.
• Set thermostats lower in winter: at 68 degrees F or lower when the building is occupied, and 50-55 degrees F when the building is unoccupied or used only for storage.
• Weatherize window air conditioners. Make sure the area around the window or over-the-door air conditioners is sealed properly. Use an insulating exterior cover in winter.

Hot Water

• Reduce hot water temperature. If hot water is needed just for general use, like hand washing, reduce the temperature setting on the hot water tank to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or lower. If a higher temperature is needed for a specific piece of equipment, consider a booster heater.

Motors

• Purchase high-efficiency replacement motors. Specify motors that meet NEMA Premium Efficient standards when purchasing new or replacement motors. Re-winding old, inefficient motors may not be cost-effective, compared to new highly efficient motors.
• Do not oversize motors. Specify replacement motors sized to meet load requirements, as closely as possible. Oversized motors are inefficient.
• Use variable frequency drives (VFDs) where appropriate. Install VFDs on motors with variable load patterns, like pumps and fans.
• Check and maintain motors regularly. Check belts and pulleys frequently and tighten as needed. Lubricate motors regularly and replace bearings when worn.

Office Equipment

• Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing computers, printers, copiers, fax machines, and other office equipment. The ENERGY STAR label means that the equipment is energy efficient. If you lease equipment, insist on energy-efficient models.
• Turn off office equipment at night. Be sure computers, printers, copiers, and other office equipment is turned off at night, on weekends and at other times when not in use. If the equipment has a power-saver mode, be sure it is enabled. Screen-saver features are designed to protect computer screens from burn-in, not to save energy.
• Share equipment. Sharing equipment like printers and copiers reduces idle time, saving energy and equipment cost.

Refrigeration Equipment

• Purchase high-efficiency equipment. Refrigeration options like hot gas defrost and evaporative condensers can yield returns of as much as 50%.
• Check gaskets and closing mechanisms on refrigerator doors frequently. Close a dollar bill in the refrigerator door, and then pull. If it comes out easily, check for worn gaskets or out-of-adjustment closing mechanisms.