Ever wonder why massive corporations will send around a memo to all their managers and heads of department, that greater efficiencies need to be made? After a certain period of time spent making cuts, filling up loopholes and saving money on equipment, it can be exhausting to find areas to make more efficiencies. It’s not that the bosses are cruel and out of touch, it’s simply that the way everyday business is conducted and done can be forever improved.
It’s not just saving on equipment that matters, but not being wasteful in using it either. Therefore, energy consumption is a major concern because it’s a tug of war that seems to never end. Businesses start using technologies that are better at the job at hand than the year before but since they work better and can do more, they also eat up more energy. Now the savings made by using less equipment and just better, has been wasted by the fact that it costs more to run that technology anyway. If you lower your business carbon footprint, you will increase savings and funds.
Motioning a change
In an office, you need to give the basics to employees or else they won’t function. Thus, even during the daytime and sunlight is bright, businesses will keep their lights on throughout the day. This seems bizarre because if you open up the windows and raise up the blinds natural light should be enough. However, throughout all the seasons, natural light levels aren’t the same and thus businesses just tend to keep the lights on regardless. This is a kind of catch-22 because your employees have to see, but why burn energy for the ceiling lights when they don’t need them? Therefore instead of keeping the lights on, set them to a timer for each day to come on around later afternoon. This could be around 3 pm and thus anyone working late can continue and those leaving won’t need them. In fact, install motion-sensing lights so only when someone is at their desk do the lights turn on above them.
A blanket of heat
HR departments have always been a place where employees of all levels feel comfortable airing their grievances. In the past they may have been only for the moderate to serious problems but even minor issues are a talking point nowadays. Heating the office and keeping employees warm is something taken seriously. You can’t expect employees to keep their morale up if they are shivering at their desk, especially now as winter is approaching. A company that provides expert low carbon heating strategies may be of help to your business. At the same time, you need to look into esos compliance so you’re not blanketing the entire office with heat but rather specifically to your workers. If one part of the office is empty, you need not have heaters on over there but instead keep the heat around your workers instead.
Why light up the office during daylight hours? Even during the evening when sunlight is fading, use motion-sensing lights so only workstations that are being used have light for the employee. Blanket heating the office is a waste of money, using low carbon technologies to direct heat to employees will save money.
- This post has been written for Morning Business Chat by an outside source
