Making and Keeping Your Office Clean and Green: Equipment Choices
by Chelsea Camper | Last Updated December 30, 2015The equipment choices made by the managers or the owners of a business can have a large impact on the overall operating costs of and the environmental consequences of an office. Utilizing the most efficient light bulbs, appliances and vehicles will have a dramatic on monthly costs and will in the long term pay for themselves.
- Compact Fluorescent Lights. The implementation
of efficiency standards have made the CFL the de facto standard bulb for all new construction in the United States. Forward looking and environmentally conscious decision makers can institute the adoption of these bulbs ahead of any governmental regulations. While the bulbs are more expensive than traditional ones, their total cost of usage is only one-fifth that of incandescent bulbs. Their lower operating temperatures also decrease the need for additional cooling.
- Appliances. The HVAC system of most offices is the single largest determiner of utility costs. The last decade has seen an incredible increase in the technology of these appliances with operating efficiencies well above 90 percent in the best models. Prudent planning and upgrading can significantly reduce ones monthly utility costs and reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases into the air as well. Manufacturer and government subsidies make this particular decision even easier.
- Outside Maintenance. Nobody likes to clean the bathrooms or mop the floors and it is probably unreasonable to expect the average office worker to embrace the concept. Nevertheless, more mundane tasks such as feeding the creatures in the office fish tank or watering the plants can be delegated and these duties can help ameliorate the costs, both economic and environmental associated with outsourced services.
In the simplest terms, the business has one less bill to pay if some routine maintenance is done on a monthly or quarterly basis rather than once a week. In addition, there is no need for the service people to transport themselves and their equipment in fuel intensive and polluting vehicles.
Each of the above choices requires a cost benefit analysis by the office decision maker. In the long run the business will definitely benefit and, more importantly, perhaps, the environment will see immediate benefits. In short, they provide an easy way to provide a ?greener? and cleaner office.
First Series Post: Making and Keeping Your Office Clean and Green: Resources and Recycling
Second Series Post: 5 Ways to Make and Keep your Office Clean and Green
Image: antonfomkin
