Before Leaving...

A lot of offices and places are closed over the holidays, and then is the time to begin making change when we start leaving the office! So many times electronics are left on, lights on, heat full blown, computers still running.... let's leave for the holidays with a conscious effort of leaving on a minimum amount of energy-sucking appliances on! Here are a few tips to check before shutting down for the holidays (if you're so lucky :P):

1. Turn off your computer AND monitor and unplug before leaving the office!
A PC left on over the holiday will use enough energy o produce 13kg of CO2 – equivalent to 3 inflatable garden Santas (which is another thing to think about before inflating them on your lawn...:P)
2. Make sure the kitchen hot water/coffee machine is turned off. The energy
needed to keep a water tank just under boiling point for hot drinks during the
break could be using enough energy to emit 240kg of CO2.
3. Switch off your office light, desk lamp, display lights and any
decorative lights as you leave. This is good practice and can save 33kWh
of wasted energy – especially if ceiling and desk lamps are not compact
fluorescent lamps - as well as removing a potential fire hazard in the form of
decorative lights.
4. Unplug any non-essential items rather than leaving on standby.
Appliances such as televisions left on standby still use energy – a 20watt
residual energy use equates to 2.5kg of CO2 emitted over the holiday period.
5. Turn off stand alone electric or wall mounted radiators at the
socket. A 3kW electric heater going flat out during the vacation can use
enough energy to produce CO2 for 77 inflatable Santas!
6. Turn off printers and photocopiers at the socket. It is good practice to
turn appliances off rather than leave them on powersave mode. A photocopier
on powersave can still require 90% of the regular standing energy
consumption, translating to 14kg of CO2 per machine over the vacation period.
7. Shut all windows and office doors. Open offices can allow fire to
spread, thefts, and thermostatically controlled room heaters to heat the rest
of the building.
8. Turn the thermostats a bit below room temperature while away... your space will warm up quickly when you return, and you will have saved a whole lot of energy!

These, and many others, could be performed daily when leaving the office... so let's start over the Christmas holidays! And possibly set a few New Year's resolutions for the world... environmentally conscious is the way to go!!

Have a great holiday season, keep your hearts warm!
Chanel and Heather