ENERGY CONSERVATION TIPS FOR THE NEW OFFICE
by Bobbi Trief
Measures You Can Do Yourself
1. Turn off or disconnect electrical items that are not in use, such
as coffee makers, lights, air conditioners, heaters, radios, typewriters,
computer monitors, and printers. You can shut off incandescent
lights and most printers when not in use; fluorescent
lights, laser printers, and computer monitors if they will be unused for
10 minutes or more. Disconnect refrigerated drinking
fountains if acceptable with building occupants.
2. Tag the items that must remain on during business hours, to avoid
confusion with those that can be turned off.
3. Place signs reminding people to please turn off lights and equipment
when they finish with them, and keep doors and windows closed
when heating or air conditioning is on.
4. Spread electrical demand over a broad period. For example, in the
morning, turn on building or plant lights and electrical equipment
sequentially, over an hour or more, to spread the load.
5. Block the sun’s heat with light-colored or reflective window films,
shades, or curtains.
6. Cover unused windows, such as those that are painted out or blocked
by merchandise, with insulating material. Window glass transfers
more heat per square foot than any other building material. To
cover windows, use roll or batting insulation, or wood panels.
7. Clean dirty skylights and windows to increase the amount of natural
light available.
8. On hot sunny days, close windows, blinds, curtains, and doors on
the sunny side of the building to keep heat out. Close them at
night, too. When the day’s sun has passed, open windows on both
sides of the building to create cross ventilation. Also, keep
curtains open on cool, sunny days to let heat in.
9. Set space heating thermostats no higher than 68 degrees F. and
air conditioning thermostats no lower than 78 degrees F. At night,
set heating back to 55 degrees or 65 degrees, and air conditioning
up to 80 degrees F.
10. When you first switch on heaters or air conditioners, do not set
them to higher or lower temperatures than what you want in the
room. Playing with their thermostats won’t help them work any
faster.
11. Use portable heaters and air conditioners wisely. They are useful
if only one part of a large area must be heated or cooled. But if
there are cold spots (or hot spots) in an area that a central
heating/cooling system serves, it indicates there is a problem
such as air infiltration, lack of insulation, poor air distribution,
or inadequate placement or calibration of a thermostat. Call
your building manager, or a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
(HVAC) specialist to identify and correct it. Then, you
can turn off the portable units.
12. Adjust outdoor light times seasonably, as days get shorter or
longer.
13. Cover wall and window air conditioners during cold months so
cold air cannot come in and rob your building of heat.
14. Use rechargeable batteries wherever possible.
15. Use push brooms for cleaning decks, drives, and streets, rather
than gas-powered blowers or water hoses.
16. Investigate using solar thermal units for space, water, and pool
heating. Also, research uses and cost-effectiveness of other
energy sources, such as natural or bio-gas, geothermal, wind,
and cogeneration for general or task-specific uses. Tax credits
or financial incentives may also be available for alternative
energy investments.
17. Reduce thermostat temperatures on domestic hot water heaters.
Most applications require no more than 105 degrees F water at
the tap. Kitchens, laundries, and laboratories may require hotter
water.
18. During shutdowns and vacations, set thermostats back to the mini-
mum allowable for the season.
Measures You May Want a Professional To Do
19. Install water heater jackets where appropriate for the model
and type of heater you use.
20. Insulate hot water piping throughout the building.
21. Drain and flush sediment from water heaters regularly.
22. Change or replace filters for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
systems regularly. Dirty filters overwork fans;
deteriorating filters can clog cooling coils or heat exchangers.
23. Replace broken windows with new thermal windows.
24. Caulk and weatherstrip areas, such as joints, doors, windows,
louvers, flues, stacks and pipes, access hatches, unsealed
utility connections, and cracks in the building’s surfaces.
25. Repair damaged or missing duct and pipe insulation.
26. Evaluate operation and maintenance procedures. For many
commercial buildings, setting up a program can cut annual utility
costs by up to 20% with little or no capital investment.
27. Commission your building, plant, and equipment. Run your own
tests to make sure specifications are met, and your suppliers,
contractors, and consultants are doing their jobs.
Industry Specific Measures
These measures are listed here only to alert readers to differences
in energy efficiency options between industries. Most of these measures
require the help of a qualified specialist to accomplish, and should
be undertaken as part of an overall energy management plan.
A: Offices, Plants, and Retail Stores
1. Audit and adjust HVAC and lighting systems–the building’s primary
energy consumers.
2. Lower and remove office partitions wherever possible to improve
HVAC and lighting efficiency.
3. Upgrade office machines such as FAX, photocopiers, computers, and
printers to the most energy-efficient models available.
4. Encourage building occupants to take the stairs instead of the
elevator for trips of up to three floors.
5. Cut down the number of elevators in service on nights, weekends,
and holidays, when the majority of occupants are not in the
building.
6. Switch off the motor-generator set located in the elevator machine
room when not in use.
B: Retail and Wholesale Grocery
1. Turn off HVAC air-handler units in stores, food services, and
storage buildings when the areas are unoccupied. This enables air
to stratify and helps refrigeration equipment operate more efficiently.
2. Keep refrigerated products below marked product load lines in
display cases. Overloading decreases product quality and increases
energy use by 10 to 20% for each fixture.
3. Cover open reach-in refrigerated cases to reduce equipment cycling
during hours the area is unoccupied. Check with your refrigeration
contractor to learn if you must take precautions on your particular
units to protect compressors and avoid frost build-up on products.
4. Keep refrigeration pressure and temperature controls serviced and
accurate. Recommended settings are:
Ice cream chests/cases – 14 degrees F
Frozen food cases – 8 degrees F
Deli cases – 35 degrees F
Beverage/dairy cases – 40 degrees F
(Check with your local health department for specific code requirements.)
5. In glass door refrigerated cases, turn off door defogger heaters
during low traffic periods, such as midnight to 7:00 a.m. on
weekdays, and midnight to 8:00 a.m. weekends.
6. Open cold box doors as briefly as possible, and expose refrigerated
products to outside air for as short a time-period as
possible during unloading and restocking.
7. Use manual timers on lights in the employee lunchroom and other
infrequently used rooms.
C: Food Service, Hospitality, Laundry
1. Run dishwashers, clothes washers, and dryers with full loads only.
Clean dryer lint traps regularly. Schedule laundry operations to
avoid peak demand.
2. Use cold water for garbage disposal and cleaning wherever possible.
3. Upgrade to equipment that saves time and energy, such as steam
cookers and kettles, and tilting skillets/braising pans.
4. Set freezer and refrigerator temperatures at maximum allowable by
health codes, usually 0 to 4 degrees F on freezers, 38 to 42
degrees F on refrigerators. Call your local health department for
limits.
D. Hotels, Motels, Restaurants
1. Use manual timers for bathroom lighting and exhaust systems, and
self-closing faucets at sinks.
2. Use booster heaters with dishwashers and other appliances that
need high temperature or sterilizing water. Also, use booster for
applications remote from the main water heater or boiler if fuel
used with booster is cheaper than or the same price as that used
with main water heater.
3. Use automatic dimmers in open areas lit by daylight. Use manual
dimmers to create atmosphere and energy savings in dining area.
E. Miscellaneous Commercial Warehouse
1. Avoid using air-curtain doors on loading docks. Instead, use
swinging doors or build an enclosed staging area for loading
activities.
2. Use radiant space heaters at key task locations in warehouses
rather than HVAC to heat the entire area.
3. In areas with high ceilings, suspend lighting fixtures from
ceiling to bring illumination closer to work, and use task lights
for such specific areas as receiving desk and loading dock.
Bobbi Trief is an independent Management Consultant specializing in environmental and conservational issues.
