1) Buy ENERGY STAR Office Equipment
According to ENERGY STAR, its qualified office and imaging products use 30 percent to 75 percent less electricity than standard equipment. These include computers, monitors, copiers, fax machines, and printers.
2) Install CFL and/or LED light bulbs
ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. You’ll notice the savings immediately. Screw-in light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs are not yet mainstream, but are available. These bulbs will eventually replace CFLs, which contain small amounts of mercury and require special disposal and precautions if broken. LED bulbs will make an even larger dent in your electricity bill than CFL bulbs, but make a considerably larger dent in your wallet (approximately $19.95 for one bulb) and will until they become more widely adopted.
3) Install Motion Sensors
Motion sensor light switches and timers automatically shut off lights when offices are not in use.
4) Use RELAY®
You can reduce paper use, storage requirements, and litigation risk with RELAY®, an electronic transaction management platform developed by a C.A.R. subsidiary. RELAY® gives you the ability to conduct an entirely paperless transaction. Visit www.rebt.com to learn more.
5) Install Low-Flow Toilets in the Company Bathroom
Low-flow toilets use 20 percent less water than standard toilets. Better yet, dual-flush toilets use 0.8 gallons/flush/number one button; 1.6 gallons/flush/number two button. Or, another option that the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® has installed in the men’s restrooms of its Washington, D.C., offices is waterless urinals.
6) All-in-One Models Versus Fax Machines
If your office still has a fax machine, a scanner, a copier, consider the savings—400 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year ($44/year, depending on location and utility provider)—by upgrading to an all-in-one product. While you’re at it, set your printer’s default to print double-sided mode.
7) Use Natural Resources for Energy
Both solar panels and wind turbines use nature to create the energy needed for electricity. Can it be done? Ask San Francisco’s Green Key Real
Estate and Santa Barbara’s CENTURY 21 A Hart Realty, Inc.
8) Replace Old Computers
Who doesn’t love more RAM and a better operating system? Dell now makes a computer that releases less toxins and energy. Its OptiPlex Energy Smart computer meets ENERGY STAR standards.
9) Turn Off Your Computer
According to The Wall Street Journal, “American businesses could save $1.72 billion each year merely by getting more employees to shut off their computers at night or allow the machines to enter an energy-saving mode.”
10) Install Energy-efficient Windows
Energy-efficient windows are designed to protect the inside environment from the outside by using special glass and framing.
| Did You Know: For every $1 you invest in energy-efficiency measures, you will increase your office’s asset value by $3. |