By John Mehtam
Employment Training provides environmentally friendly advice to businesses for energy savings in the work place. "Switch it off" is the rule of thumb in reducing running costs and at the same time minimizing your company's carbon foot print.
More and more companies are working hard to ensure their operating procedures are as environmentally friendly as possible, in order to protect the planet.
Millions of pounds are being spent on research and development to come up with methods that reduce a company's carbon footprint, and which protect the environment.
But in reality one of the solutions which could make a real impact on the amount of energy your business uses, is far more simple – use the "off" button.
In fact, companies could cut their energy costs by up to 90 per cent if they simply switched off their office equipment.
We've all seen those office buildings lit up like Christmas trees at night, with computer monitors and photocopiers on standby, but by taking action, companies can achieve amazing results.
It's vital for firms to consider their energy policies in this way if they are to make a real difference to their energy bills.
Office equipment accounts for around 20% of a company's total energy consumption, but in today's challenging economy, there are ways to cut costs.
Many companies are committed to reducing the impact their business has on the environment, and to making sure are were not incurring unnecessary costs – but they fail to realize just how much difference a simple "off" switch can make.
Research has shown that the most basic way to save money is to turn off your office equipment, because in commercial offices, this makes up nearly a quarter of the total energy bill.
The energy consumed by computers and laser printers can be reduced by 75% per year if they are switched off at night, at weekends and during holidays.
So it's important to encourage staff to think about this at the end of a long working week, when they're itching to escape, and to ask them to take the time to switch things off.
If computer monitors are also switched off when they are not in use during the day, and utilize the standby mode to its full advantage, a company could even cut its energy consumption by 90% each year.
The guidelines also show that the costs increase by about eight per cent for every degree the temperature of your workplace rises, so it's important to try to keep the office thermostat at a constant level.
Don't just reach for the dial as an automatic response to a change in temperature – try to keep doors and windows closed and free from droughts, and suggest your staff turn the heating down rather than opening windows if it gets too hot.
And if your workplace is empty at weekends or over the holidays, reduce the heating to a minimum or even turn it off altogether – it may sound radical, but it's an approach that really works.
Encourage employees to think about the energy that is being used in all areas of the business, and you may be pleasantly surprised by their attitude.
You should also closely monitor your fuel bills so that you can share with your staff the difference their efforts are making.
This article is free to republish provided the authors resource box remains intact.
John Mehtam is an Employment Law Solicitor and heads the employment law team at Martin Kaye Solicitors. John runs numerous presentations on this specialist subject and provides Employment Law Training.
Source:www.isnare.com |
