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Greening your office
The free audits provided by the Cook County Energy Efficiency Program evaluate how low cost to capital investment retrofits can make a significant difference on your energy bills. With little to no effort or investment there are a handful of office behavior changes that can make a substantial impact on your energy bills as well.
Below are conservation measures to consider in order to reduce wasted costs and to make your operation more sustainable. These measures were compiled from the Chicago Green Office Challenge www.chicagogreenofficechallenge.org and Energy Star.
Minimize your energy costs and footprint
Manage your lighting costs by:
-Changing your fluorescent tubes from T-12 (1.5 inch tubes) to T-8 or T-5. T-12’s are becoming obsolete so consider retrofitting your lighting now. Learn more about ComEd incentives available or use their savings calculator.
-Changing your bulbs to CFLs and save approximately $50 within the lifetime of each bulb. Learn more about how much you can save.
-Removing unneeded lamps from your fixtures. Not only will you minimize unneeded expenses, ComEd will pay you up to $10 per lamp that you permanently remove. Download ComEd’s incentives application here.
Manage your HVAC costs by eliminating the use of space heaters and personal fans. Close HVAC vents in unused spaces. Control how the sun affects indoor temperature with the use of window blinds.
Manage your computer costs by:
-Setting your all your computer to go to sleep after 15 minutes of non-use and turn off screen savers. Learn more about computer power management settings.
-Establish a campaign and policy to have employees shut off computers and unplug laptops at the end of the day. Go the extra mile and provide employees power strips so they can easily cut off phantom power to their laptops and desktops.
-Set you printers to shut down over night and power down into stand by after 15 minutes of non use.
-When replacing old equipment and appliances purchase Energy Star rated equipment. Learn more.
Purchase renewable energy for all or a portion of your facilities usage. Learn more about the green power market and renewable energy credits here.
Minimize your waste costs and footprint
Reduce paper consumption by:
-Making sure all computers and copiers are set to print on both sides. Consider adding a paper tray of reusable paper. Determine how much paper the office uses and establish milestones to reduce paper use. Learn more about ways to use less paper and save money.
-Creating electronic forms. Eliminate the need to print out administrative paperwork and use electronic timesheets, direct deposit, online pay statements, etc. Circulate documents such as memos and handouts electronically instead of using paper.
-Unplugging your fax machine and moving your fax service to email.
Recycle and reduce consumption of other materials by:
-Providing paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum recycling receptacles with the appropriate lid.
-Having individual recycling bins available at employee desks (or at a centralized location nearby), and verify that the cleaning staff separates the recyclables from the trash.
-Providing centralized recycling bins for cell phones, rechargeable batteries, used printer cartridges and alkaline batteries. Donate or recycle old computers and other large electronics (printers, copiers). Click here to find out where to recycle electronic products.
-Eliminating the use of disposable cups, plates, bowls, utensils, and coffee stirrers and purchase reusable kitchen-ware instead. Encourage employees to use dishes from home. Request catering companies not provide disposables or items with individual packaging.
-Ensuring that all employees have access to refillable water bottles or mugs, and eliminate the need and use of single serving water bottles for employees, meetings, and vending machines.
Develop a green purchasing policy to procure green products where feasible, and circulate the policy to employees electronically. The Delta Institute’s Buying Better Program offers a wide range of discounted green office products, including paper goods, pens and pencils, toner cartridges, and boxes.
Minimize your transportation costs and footprint
Reduce energy use and travel costs by:
-Conducting a commuter survey to find out how employees get to work. Determine the percentage that uses alternative transportation (bicycling, transit, walking, carpooling).
-Developing a telecommuting or flextime policy for employees.
-Encouraging employees to get to work by modes other than driving by providing bike parking. Reduce your companies overhead by eliminating free or subsidized parking as an employee benefit.
-Providing a transit benefit program. Encourage the use of public transportation and/or biking by providing benefits to employees who commute using those modes. Learn more about transit benefit programs. For a limited time Cook County is providing up to $1,700 for companies to offer a pre-tax benefit program, click here to learn more.
-Using teleconferencing and/or webinars to reduce the need to travel to meetings.
-Joining a car sharing company as a business member, and offer personal membership as a benefit to employees. I-GO and ZIPCAR are two popular car sharing programs.
-Establishing a policy where employees must request a fuel efficient car when feasible (hybrid, electric, hydrogen fuel cell) for business travel.
-Calculating and offsetting carbon emissions from employee business travel.
