Get on board the green train – Advice for running the office

BC Hydro has posted advice for companies regarding computer use that will save energy use and save the company money. The utility points out that turning off equipment also improves worker comfort by reducing fan noise and heat generation.
It’s particularly important to turn off your computer monitor, since these consume over 75% of the total energy required to run a computer.
Keep your screen saver simple — complex screen savers use lots of energy. Laptops are considerably more energy efficient than desktops — saving about 50% energy.
When buying hardware look for the Energy Star Label and specify 80 Plus power supply, which means your supply will be at least 80% efficient and could save 88 kWh per year on a computer and 280 kWh per year in a server.
Efforts to “green” your company in other areas could follow the steps used by Environics Communications which enabled it to achieve “carbon neutral status.” These include:
– sourcing the majority of its electrical power from clean, emission free providers, – switching to compact fluorescent lighting, implemented a standard practice of double-sided printing, and cut out the use of water coolers to eliminate the environmental impact of their production and delivery.
– The company also uses energy efficient hardware and technology, has switched to 100%% post-consumer recycled paper.
Employees are asked to minimize their air travel by exploring conference technology, and they’re asked to use public transport or cycle wherever possible.