I recently noticed some energy savings tips from Cork City council and in these tough economic times they are worth considering afresh.
Most are a no cost action , just good energy practice that will yield dividends . Heres a quick list :
1. Give your office equipment a power break at night
Switch off computers, printers, photocopiers and other appliance when leaving. Everyone looks after their own workspace and last person to leave takes responsibility for lights. Savings : could be up to 50% of usage, depending on what equipment is involved.
2. Eliminate Standby energy use
Appliances still use energy even after being turned off. Disconnect completely when leaving.
Savings : Standby energy use can be up to 10% of total energy consumption.
3.Computers know how to save energy, so tell them.
Configure the power scheme in your computer for greenest option. Set up the monitor to turn off automatically if the computer has not been used for more than 5 minutes. Savings : 20-40% of the energy used
Also power down completely when finished for the day or get the IT dept to automatically shutdown machines after 8 pm for example.They did it at Dundalk IT and are reaping the rewards.
4. Invest in daylight savings!
On bright days ensure all blinds are open, on dull days close the blinds. Empty rooms should have blinds closed. Re-arrange desks to benefit from natural daylight where possible. Savings : lighting, heating, aircon.
5. Don’t waste energy in unoccupied rooms
Switch off the lights when you are not using the room. Likewise for heating and aircon. If justified install occupancy sensors, however beware that these have been shown to take a long time to recover costs. Cheaper option is simple manual procedure that people follow.
6. CFL lighting is better!
Use compact fluorescent lamps instead of traditional incandescent bulbs. They use 80% less energy and last up to 15 times longer. LEDs for spotlights are also the lowest power option although still a little costly , these will dominate lighting in the years to come as prices drop, payback times reduce and lighting output gets better.
7. Retrofit older Fluorsecent bulbs to latest technology.
Just because you have Fluorescent CFL bulbs doesent means you are winning on savings. The latest fluorescent retrofit products can further reduce T8,T12 lamps to the latest T5 effeciency levels by simple replacement of ballast and lamps while reusing existing light fittings . Savings: re-use existing fittings and gain 50%+ savings on lighting costs with lower maintenance. A good place to start is Energy Sense Ireland . Check it out.
For the full list of tips visit Cork City Council website .
If you have some good advice feel free to submit it as a comment.
