How to Stop Energy Waste in the Workplace
When thinking about office productivity, it’s natural to think in terms of deadlines and business goals. But in the pursuit of productivity, it’s all too easy to forget about overhead costs, which can drag a business down if left unchecked. Energy bills are one of the easiest types of overhead to reduce, which makes energy efficiency a top priority for businesses looking to save money.
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Did you know that nearly 30% of the energy consumed by commercial office spaces is wasted? This alarming statistic underscores the inefficiencies lurking in everyday office operations. Inefficient lighting, overworked HVAC systems, building inefficiencies, and the constant use of electronics are the biggest culprits to high energy bills. Explore low-cost upgrades and simple steps your office can take to eliminate energy waste and reduce operational costs.
- Lighting, HVAC systems, and always-on electronics are the largest contributors to unnecessary office energy waste
- Simple, low-cost upgrades like LEDs, smart thermostats, and occupancy sensors can reduce electricity use by 15% or more
- Improving insulation, sealing leaks, and weatherizing the building prevents costly temperature loss year-round
- Tracking Energy Usage Intensity (EUI) helps benchmark performance and measure the impact of efficiency improvements
What is Corporate Energy Waste?
Corporate energy waste is the unnecessary or inefficient use of electricity within a business setting. Energy wastage can relate to how efficiently an electronic or appliance uses power or how human behaviors affect energy consumption patterns. Reducing energy waste helps businesses save money and reduce their environmental impact.
How Much Energy is Consumed by Commercial Office Buildings?
The average commercial office space consumes 22.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per square foot of floorspace. Corporate energy consumption will vary based on the size of the office and equipment used. For comparison, the average U.S. household consumes around 0.45 kWh per square foot.
Office spaces have much higher electrical demand, often due to commercial lighting and HVAC usage. However, it’s important to note that electronics and appliances have an equal impact on energy use, especially when conservation practices aren’t in place.
How commercial building systems contribute to energy usage:
Water Heating: 0.5 kWh per square foot
Lighting: 7 kWh per square foot
HVAC: 7 kWh per square foot
Appliances/Electronics: 8 kWh per square foot
Methods to Reduce Office Electricity Waste
Improving the energy performance of an office can be achieved through no- to low-cost upgrades and operational changes. Creating a strategic plan to improve energy demanding areas of an office, businesses can implement low-effort improvements with a dramatic impact on business energy expenses. The simple upgrades and conservation practices outlined below can reduce your office’s energy consumption by 15% or more!
Reducing Office Lighting Energy Waste
Lighting represents 17% of the power consumed in commercial buildings. Most office spaces keep all the lighting on for the duration of operating hours, sometimes keeping lights on overnight. While proper illumination is important for productivity, excess lighting contributes to energy waste and high utility bills. Implementing smart technology and practicing conservation can lower lighting costs substantially.
- Prioritize Natural Light: Prioritize natural sunlight above overhead lighting whenever possible. Studies have shown that natural light boosts moods while improving concentration and productivity. If additional illumination is needed, opt for smaller task lamps rather than overhead lighting.
- Install Occupancy Sensors: Stop wasting energy in spaces that aren’t in use by installing occupancy sensors. Motion-activated occupancy sensors are particularly beneficial in less used spaces like storage or break rooms.
- Upgrade to Smart LED Lighting: LED office lights can reduce energy costs up to 80% compared to traditional incandescent or fluorescent lighting. LED technology also lasts 25 times longer, reducing maintenance expenses as well.
Improving Commercial HVAC Energy Performance
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) represents roughly half of the energy consumed in the average office space. HVAC operations take a lot of power; however, there’s ample opportunity for improvement. Simple HVAC adjustments can reduce corporate energy waste while providing a comfortable workplace.
- Adjust Office Temperature: In the summer, the ideal office temperature is around 78℉. After summer business hours, adjust the temperature to 85℉ or off to maximize savings. In the winter, keep office temperatures around 68℉ during operating hours and lower to 60℉ after hours to reduce costs. Businesses can save up to 3% for each degree their thermostat is adjusted in the summer and winter.
- Install a Smart Thermostat: Smart thermostats can do the temperature adjustments for you! Furthermore, smart thermostats and HVAC systems can be programmed to match operating schedules or create heating zones throughout the office. Smart technology eliminates the headaches of optimizing HVAC use.
- Create a Regular Maintenance Routine: From furnaces and ductwork to air conditioning units and thermostats, HVAC systems have many components to manage. Creating a regular maintenance routine can reduce HVAC energy consumption by 50% while prolonging the system’s lifespan.
Repairing Building Inefficiencies
While most people think of building systems and electronics as the main contributors to high energy bills, your building envelope can slide under the radar. Most commercial building energy waste comes from temperature loss through building inefficiencies. Improvements to your building facade not only make it more presentable, but also more energy efficient.
- Improve Insulation & Seal Cracks: Sealing air leaks and improving insulation can reduce energy bills by 10% while improving employee and customer comfort. These measures eliminate cold drafts and energy waste through temperature loss.
- Weatherize the Building: Install weatherstripping on windows and doors and consider investing in awnings or window coverings. These efforts prepare your building for peak weather demands in winter and summer while creating a comfortable atmosphere.
- Implement Strategic Building Upgrades: When upgrading your office space, prioritize energy efficient windows, doors, and other building materials. A building can lose up to 40% of its heat through the roof. Consider upgrading to reflective roofing to reduce energy waste even further.
Efficient Usage of Electronics and Appliances
The final method for reducing office energy waste comes down to how employees use their electronics and appliances. Even on standby, electronics like computers still consume 50% of the energy they use when in operation. Creating mindful energy consumption habits among employees helps reduce waste and establish an eco-friendly work culture. Collective energy efficiency practices are much more successful than individual contributions.
- Conduct Employee Training: Create energy efficiency training for office employees. This encourages participation in energy saving initiatives. This can include end-of-day power-down procedures to turn off electronics or establishing which less-used spaces can keep the lights off when unoccupied.
- Use Smart Plugs & Power Strips: Sometimes an appliance or electronic device is forgotten after a hectic workday. Smart plugs and power strips have remote management features, enabling operators to turn off electronics through a smart phone app.
- Invest in an Energy Management System (EMS): Consider investing in an EMS to incorporate all building systems, like lighting, HVAC, and security, with devices plugged into smart power strips. EMS solutions offer comprehensive energy management in a singular interface. Their software also provides energy consumption reports and data analytics to track progress towards energy conservation goals.
What is Energy Usage Intensity (EUI)?
Understanding the energy intensity of your business is helpful when reducing consumption and implementing efficiency practices. Your energy usage intensity (EUI) helps identify your office’s current energy performance. The higher your EUI rating is, the more energy intensive it is. Businesses can use their initial EUI rating as a baseline for comparison. After implementing energy-saving upgrades and practices, your improved energy performance will be reflected in a lower EUI rating.
How to Calculate Office Energy Usage Intensity (EUI)
In order to calculate your office’s EUI, you’ll first need to determine your business’s annual energy usage. This can be calculated through historic energy bills. To use the EUI formula, your annual energy consumption must be converted to kilo-British Thermal Units (kBTU) or gigajoules (GJ). You can use an online conversion calculator to simplify this process.
Once annual energy consumption has been calculated, plug it into the formula below:
Annual usage in kBTU or GJ / Gross Square Feet = EUI
Businesses can benchmark their EUI rating against comparable businesses in their industry. Commercial benchmarking encourages industry transparency about energy consumption patterns. It also promotes corporate accountability while identifying stewards of sustainability.
What’s the Average EUI for Commercial Office Buildings?
Most office buildings fall into the low-to-moderate range of energy intensity. Small- to medium-sized offices have an average EUI rating of 52.9. To put this into perspective, energy intensive restaurants rank 325.6 EUI on average while low-energy self-storage facilities rank 20.2 EUI.
If your office space generates a higher EUI rating, there are ample opportunities for improvement. Consider conducting an energy audit to identify areas to improve efficiency. If your office has a lower rating, you’ve likely already implemented energy conservation practices.
Reduce Waste & Lower Office Energy Bills Today
Eliminating office energy waste takes a focused approach to managing lighting, HVAC systems, building inefficiencies, and electronic usage. Improving your office’s energy efficiency is the quickest and lowest cost way to cut corporate energy bills. Pairing energy-saving efforts with a low, fixed-rate business energy plan can significantly improve your bottom line. Consider leveraging Integrity Energy’s free brokerage services to find the most competitive plans on the market! Our complimentary energy advice helps you find the most ideal corporate energy solution for your office space. Request a free quote to start saving today!
Cut Office Waste. Lower Energy Bills.
Reduce unnecessary energy costs with simple efficiency upgrades and smarter energy planning. Compare competitive business energy plans to maximize your office savings today.
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Rob Barto
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