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Greener Business

Peoples wants to help businesses, large and small, to take advantage of energy saving tips to control their energy usage and reduce costs.

Green Office Tips

  • In cooler weather, gradually reduce heat settings. Your employees and customers should feel comfortable at 68°F.
  • In summer, raise air conditioner settings. 78°F is optimal.
  • Turn off heat and air conditioning in unoccupied areas. Conditioning air in storage, basement, or empty space is usually unnecessary.
  • Turn off heat and air conditioning at night, on weekends or other times your business is closed. With many systems, it's cheaper to heat or recool at the start of each business day.
  • Turn on heat and air conditioning later in the day. Delaying system startup by 30 minutes to an hour will really help.
  • Turn off systems earlier in the workday. Your building should remain comfortable for an hour or more.
  • Turn off lights whenever possible. Just a few hours a day over a year's time can really make a difference. Turn off unnecessary lights, especially in unused offices and conference rooms. Turn down other lighting levels wherever possible.
  • Remove unneeded lighting. Fixtures near doors and windows often burn energy needlessly.
  • Use lower wattage or higher efficiency lamps.
  • Lower hot water temperature. Unless you wash clothes or dishes, cooler water - about 120°F - will do the job.
  • Activate your computer's sleep mode when you leave your desk. This reduces electricity consumption to less than 5% of full power.
  • Use a desk caddy to save envelopes, rubber bands, and paper clips for reuse.
  • Don't just recycle the paper from your printer, but recycle your newspapers and boxes too.
  • Be more eco-efficient. Use a mug or glass instead of styrofoam or paper cups.
  • Write with refillable pens made from recycled plastic.
  • For fax machines and printers, use refillable ink cartridges and recycle old ones.
  • Save paper by printing and copying on both sides. And only print what you really need.
  • Carpool or use public transportation. If you own a business, encourage carpooling or allow telecommuting to reduce carbon emissions.
  • Take your lunch to work in a reusable container.

Keeping Up with Your Energy Savings

Saving energy is an active, ongoing enterprise. By adjusting and maintaining your energy-related systems on a regular basis, the money you've spent on improving efficiency will continue to pay a return in the form of lower costs. You'll benefit from additional savings by spending less on equipment repair and replacement.

Explore the tips provided below, and be sure to follow manufacturer's recommendations in addition to the suggestions provided.

Every Day

  • Turn off exterior, safety, and security lights on arrival.
  • Keep energy use to a minimum for early or late skeleton crews.
  • Set thermostats to reach optimal temperatures 30 minutes to an hour after employees arrive.
  • Set back temperature an hour before closing.
  • Turn off lights near windows and doors during daytime.
  • Turn off lights in unoccupied areas.
  • Leave only necessary safety/security lights on after hours.
  • Open your building if possible on cool summer nights.

Every Week

  • Adjust thermostats for weekend closings.
  • Leave on minimum lighting for weekends.
  • Turn off your water heater if you'll be closed for three days or longer.

During Cold Weather

  • Have your system inspected and tuned or repaired before the season.
  • Turn off heat in unoccupied areas.
  • Check your thermostats for accuracy.
  • Seal window air conditioning units.
  • Set back to day temperatures of 68°F and a night setting of 50°F. (If you have a heat pump, check out the General Heating and Cooling Considerations).
  • Keep exterior light timers adjusted to changing day lengths.

During Hot Weather

  • Have your air conditioning system inspected and tuned or repaired.
  • Don't run cooling equipment in unoccupied areas.
  • Adjust thermostat to 78°F for both day and night settings.
  • Keep exterior light timers adjusted for changing day lengths.

Useful Resources

  • Energy Saving Tips—Straight from the U.S. Energy Department

    The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. On their website, you can visit their Energy Savers page for home and business tips.

  • Room-by-Room Savings

    Take Energy Star's room-by- room tour to discover possible savings all over your house. This interactive tool shows you all of the different ways you can make your home more efficient.

  • Get "Energy Smarter"

    With tips from Conservation Consultants Inc. (CCI), you can see how your business might save money, increase energy efficiency, boost awareness of renewable energy, and protect the environment. CCI's mission is to promote responsible energy and resource use in homes and buildings. Read more to get started.