As a business owner, you’re well aware of how expensive your buildings energy costs are. From office equipment to heating and cooling systems it can cost a small fortune just to power your office. But what if we told you that up to 20 percent of that money pays for wasted energy? We’re here with some surprising office habits that eat up energy.

Leaving Electronics and Appliances Turned On

Did you know that office equipment makes up about 16 percent of your businesses energy consumption? The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that a staggering $1 billion of electricity is wasted per year on computer monitors that are left on.

Try setting your office computers up to automatically enter sleep mode after a certain amount of time. In addition, be sure to turn off all equipment and appliances that don’t need to run overnight. You can take this one step further and unplug them from the wall at the end of each day to avoid energy being siphoned from your outlets.

Rather than unplugging, you may be inclined to set timers for your devices to turn on in the mornings and off in the evenings — which is a great energy saving practice. However, It’s important to schedule appliances so they turn on and off sequentially, rather than all at once.

Night Cleaning

When office cleaning takes place in the evenings, it significantly increases off-peak energy consumption. To cut energy costs, try scheduling cleaning to take place just before you open for business or during the last hour of the day.

Mounting Your Thermostats in the Wrong Places

Did you know that sunlight, drafts, air vents, and more can affect thermostat readings? Make sure your thermostat is mounted in an area that will accurately read the temperature to avoid the unnecessary heating and cooling of your office.

Blocking Vents

Never block air flow. If you’re moving furniture in your office space, be sure to leave vents and grilles uncovered. By blocking them, you’re straining your HVAC system to circulate air through a smaller pathway — you guessed it, this requires more energy than if the vents were left uncovered.

One of the easiest ways to cut power consumption is to invest in power monitoring equipment for your property. Electro Industries’ power meters, submeters, and energy management software can help you identify inefficiencies throughout your building, so you focus on eliminating them.

Electro Industries has been serving businesses around the world for over 40 years. Contact us at 866-928-7908 to speak with one of our associates today.