For the modern workplace, it pays to be green. If you can lower your power consumption and lower your consumable usage, you can boost your budget. It doesn't matter what industry you work in or how many staff members you employ or how big or small your workplace is, a greener workplace will be a more efficient and cost effective workplace too.
Here are some key tips to keeping your business' environmental efficiency high and running costs low.
• Switch it all off
If you go into the average UK office outside of business hours, you would be amazed to see how many machines are still running, needlessly draining money from the budget. While the workplace is deserted all weekend, you are still likely to find copiers in standby mode, monitors still up and running, vending machines plugged in and overhead lights still on. In some cases you will even find air conditioning or heating units still running at full blast to the benefit of nobody.
Make sure every department in your building has a person who is responsible for ensuring all power-consuming items are turned off when not in use. Also, make sure your schedules for things like air conditioning are carefully followed.
• Take advantage when the workforce is smaller
At certain times of year, a large proportion of your workforce is likely to take holidays simultaneously. At Christmas, for example, there's a very good chance you will have a week or two-week period where your staff numbers are heavily depleted.
While this might lower your output, it can also boost your budget thanks to reduced running costs. To take full advantage, move all present employees to the same part of the office and then turn off the lights and hardware in the rest of the business.
• Buy Energy Star certified products
The Energy Star is the globally recognised symbol for sustainable hardware. This little blue box is only awarded to truly cost effective and eco-efficient products. If you ensure you only purchase equipment that has earned this certification, you can rest assured that your power consumption will never be needlessly high due to the hardware.