4 Tips for Designing an Energy-Efficient Commercial Space
Written by Lana Hawkins
When running a small business, even the smallest amount of saved energy can be important. Lighting, heating, air-conditioning – all of these things increase your utility bill. What’s more, but they pose a threat to our environment and anything you can do to aid in helping preserve the planet matters. Therefore, if you’re designing a commercial space for your company, making it energy efficient is a great idea. Listed below are four tips that can help.
Invest in new equipment
Older generations of technology tend to use much more energy than the new ones. Just take a look at fridges where olds ones can use up $300 worth of energy per year. On the other hand, the newest generation of fridges uses only $75 per year. Commercial spaces are generally full of equipment that this rule stands for, and investing in new equipment is extremely important. When talking about fridges, you can get mini-fridges for your commercial space that only spend $10 worth of energy a year. Opt for new PCs, monitors and printers and reducing your energy consumption will be a real piece of cake.
Think about heating
Another thing you might want to do is to consider changing the ways you heat your commercial space. The first step you can take is making sure that the office is properly insulated. If it is, it will require less heating to make the place warm. Look for the gaps between the windows and walls and fill them up if you find them. These gaps let cold air leak in and reduce the room temperature. If you’re ready to spend more, investing in double-glazed windows is also something you can’t go wrong with. Last but not least, consider getting a smart thermostat that’ll make controlling the temperature much easier.
Consider your lighting options
Incandescent light bulbs use by far more energy than some other lighting options. CFL and LED are the most popular and most energy-efficient lighting options available right now. If every household in the U.S. replaced just one of their incandescent light bulbs with one of these, it would have the same impact on the environment as removing 1 million cars from the streets. This makes relying on LEDs in your commercial space the perfect option for your energy bill. Turn to experts who design lighting fixtures for businesses to make sure you end up with the best lighting in your commercial space. Keep in mind that good industrial light fixtures can improve working conditions and help your employees be more productive.
Make small adjustments
Sometimes, it only takes a few adjustments to save energy. Most modern offices only use power strips when necessary. If you introduce these things to your commercial space, you’ll make it easier for you and your staff to unplug appliances that are not in use. This prevents equipment from using the “phantom loads” of energy like they do when plugged in directly. Another smart idea is to use a different type of printer cartridges. For example, toner cartridges are a much better choice as they require less energy. They’re also less expensive, making them a perfect option for your efficient office space.
Follow the four tips we covered in this post and designing an energy-efficient commercial space won’t be tough. You’ll end up with more money left in your pocket, and you’ll help preserve the planet along the way. Remember that there are always new ways to make your commercial space more energy-efficient and you should continue to explore them. Even the smallest adjustments will help you make your business more energy efficient.
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