Electricity and natural gas are the most common energy sources used in commercial buildings.

In a typical office building, lighting, heating, and cooling consume the most energy (figure 1), making those systems the best targets for energy savings.

Here are a few simple ways you can save energy in the workplace and bring positive changes to your working environment:

1. Switch off artificial lights and use natural light.
2. Choose energy efficient light bulbs.
3. Choose laptops over desktops.
4. Use hibernation feature on all computers.
5. Use energy saving features of all devices.

Researchers at MIT estimate commercial buildings account for 20% of all the energy used in the U.S. and concludes that as much as 30% of that energy is wasted. The three ways to reduce energy consumption in the office are climate control, lighting and water usage.

The following are 10 of the biggest energy-wasting oversights people make at home and how to adjust to more eco-friendly practices.

• Leaving the Lights On.
• Using Incandescent Bulbs.
• Leaving Electronics Plugged In.
• Powering an Empty Chest Freezer.
• Browsing Your Refrigerator.
• Running the Dishwasher Half-Full.

The types and major end uses of energy by the residential sector include:

• electricity—all types of energy end uses.
• natural gas—space and water heating, clothes drying, cooking.
• heating oil—space and water heating, clothes drying.
• LPG/propane—space and water heating, clothes drying, cooking.
• kerosene—space heating.

Here’s how you can save energy in the office:

1. Know your business energy use and waste.
2. Use energy efficient office lighting.
3. Turn down the heat.
4. Snip out some costs in the office kitchen.
5. Less is more on the workshop floor.
6. Avoid energy waste.
7. Rally your teams to help you save.
8. Print less – go paperless.

Take these steps to help reduce your energy consumption.

1. Shutdown your computer. Computers are some of the biggest energy users in office buildings.
2. Choose the right light.
3. Eliminate vampire power: unplug idle electronics.
4. Use a power strip to reduce your plug load.
5. Turn off the lights.

Most Common Wastes of Energy

1. Overusing air condition or heating. As we wrote in “The Top 7 Most Energy-Hungry Appliances,” roughly 50% of the average American energy bill is consumed by the HVAC unit.
2. Letting hot or cool air escape.
3. Not regulating temperature throughout the day.
4. Lights.
5. “Vampire” Electronics.

Commercial energy use is driven by electrical, heating, and cooling of buildings and other structures, though traffic lights, water, and sewer systems are also included in this category.

The office environment contains a number of electrical devices that add to the working of the business. Yet, with so many devices to take account of, the business is often at risk of wasting energy as well as money. We have collected the top ten offenders of energy wastage in the office and ways in which the issues can be simply resolved.

Although paper waste constitutes the largest portion of office waste, there are other residuals that can be addressed to help avoid solid waste. Here are some tips you can employ to better manage your non-paper office trash: Think about purchasing products with less packaging or with no packaging at all.

Let’s dive deeper into how much waste is created in the office… The average office worker generates about 2 pounds worth of paper and paperboard products every day and uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year!

During the winter, keep shades and blinds open in the office during a sunny day. This will heat the room naturally. Close the blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost via the windows. In the summer, keep shades and blinds closed to avoid overheating the room.