THERE is so much advice out there to help us all save energy, which is a good thing, except myth and sound advice often get mixed. So here are a few MythBusters.
Plus a few tips for the workplace to help you start to save energy right away by dismissing the myths while taking some positive actions to save energy, save money and reduce carbon emissions.
First of all some myths regarding energy saving:
It’s better to leave a PC running because continually turning them on and off wears out the equipment.
This is Untrue.
Turning a PC off regularly not only saves energy but also extends the machines life due to a reduction in mechanical wear. Most PC manufactures recommend that users turn off their machines when not being used. This extends the machines life due to a reduction in mechanical wear and save energy.
It’s cheaper to leave a fluorescent light on rather than switch it off.
This is Untrue
It’s a lot cheaper to turn any lights off when not in use, even for a very short amount of time.
The radiator is cold so the heating MUST be off.
This is Untrue
The heating isn’t necessarily off. Where a building heating system or radiator is thermostatically controlled the radiator may go off because the office has reached an optimal temperature (19oC). The heating will automatically come back on if the temperature drops below the set temperature.
Screen savers save energy
This is Untrue
Screen savers don’t save energy, they may save screens!
It’s better to leave a monitor on because continually turning them on and off uses more energy.
This is Untrue.
A computer monitor only consumes one seconds energy worth of running time when being started up or closed down. As monitors account for 70% of the PCs energy use, it’s always better to turn them off when away from your desk, even for relatively short times, like over lunch or attending a meeting.
On the positive side here are some useful tips:
WORK RELATED ENERGY FACTS & FIGURES
- Turning your thermostat down by just 1°C can knock 10% off the cost of heating your office and you’ll be unlikely to notice any difference in comfort. This won’t cost you anything but would save your business money (the aim for office temperature is 19°C)
- Switching off a typical fluorescent light for one hour in each working day will save 30kg of carbon dioxide emissions annually
- Lighting an empty office overnight wastes enough energy to heat water for 1000 cups of coffee
- Switching off all non-essential office equipment (computers, printers, faxes, photocopiers and lights) will save enough energy to drive a small car 100 miles
- A PC monitor left on overnight wastes enough energy to laser print 800 pages
- A PC left running for 24 hours per day will use $110 worth of electricity over 12 months
- A photocopier left on overnight wastes enough energy to print 1500 A4 copies
- A window left open overnight wastes enough energy to drive a small car 35 miles
Great ideas for saving money at work. Useful for saving money at home too. I try to learn something new each day and I hit today’s quota here already.
I’ll add your site to my blog roll so me readers can find you too. Energy Boomer
I am glad we have been able to help you – thank you for your comment.
Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! I’m sure you had fun writing thx
Just following the tips that this article gives, we could save a huge amount of energy with no cost, just by changing habits.
You won’t believe how many of my colleagues still think that they have to keep the pc or the monitor on. even if they’re not in the office. that’s so weird! Actually I feel almost like don quichotte when trying to tell them something about energy saving. hope posts like yours will help to clarify. well done!
This is a great Wordpress Blog. What theme are you using?
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