The modern office is a resource intensive environment. Office-based resource use is responsible for a sizable share of global warming gas emissions. An analysis of carbon dioxide emissions in Portland, Oregon, (U.S) found that nearly 20 percent could be attributed to office energy use and other commercial buildings. If related transportation, solid waste impacts and upstream effects such as drilling for energy, tree cutting for paper were added, the true environmental impact would be shockingly high.
A green office minimizes the extensive resource use resulting from conventional office operations. The seven main resource conservation opportunity areas for green offices are: lighting, office equipment, paper products, heating and cooling, water, cars and parking and flexi-work arrangements.
Lighting
According to a US Department of Energy (DOE) lighting accounts for about 29 percent of the energy use in a typical office. Properly designed and implemented lighting strategies can save 50 to80 percent of lighting energy.
This would involve measures to maximize natural light, use of the newer and more efficient fluorescent lighting technology, efficient exit signs using light emitting diodes (LEDs), neon lighting, or electroluminescent lighting technology and occupancy sensors which detect the presence of people in a room and turn off the lights when there is no one in the room.
Office Equipment
According to DOE, office equipment accounts for 16 percent of an office’s energy use. In pre-computer days a six-person office would have had one electric typewriter and one photocopier for a connected load of about 600 watts. Today, that same office has six computers, six monitors, two printers, one larger photocopier, and one fax for a connected load of more than 7,000 watts. More and more powerful equipment has been added to nearly every office.
However, there are energy-efficient options for virtually all office equipment. A Lawrence Berkeley Lab study from 1999 estimated that one workstation (computer and monitor) left on after business hours is responsible for power plants emitting nearly one ton of CO2 per year. That could be cut by 80 percent if the workstation is switched off at night and set to go to “sleep” during idle periods in the day.
IBM estimates it saved $17.8 million worldwide in 1991 alone by encouraging employees to turn off equipment and lights when not needed. The company estimates that the effect of these simple changes is the same as if 50,000 cars were removed from the road avoiding some190, 000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Paper Products
Paper has large embodied energy content. It requires 15 watt-hours of energy to make a virgin sheet of copy paper. The embodied energy has become a concern in offices that want to reduce the environmental impact of their activities. One simple but highly effective step to take is to change printer and copier settings to duplex. This saves a substantial amount of paper—and money.
For efficient use, paper should be reduced, reused, and recycled. A ton of 100 percent recycled paper saves the equivalent of 4,100 kWh of energy, 7,000 gallons of water, 60 pounds of air emissions, and three cubic yards of landfill space. Conserving energy and natural resources can be as simple as recycling and buying recycled paper products.
Almost all of the waste stream from a typical office can be recycled. Less waste means smaller garbage containers and lower garbage bills. Another way to cut down on waste is buying products in bulk. Bulk purchases minimize packaging and are often less expensive than smaller, individually packaged items.
Heating and Cooling
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is a large part of energy bills. They account for 39 percent of the energy use in a typical office and are among the largest energy end-uses in commercial buildings.
Turning heating and cooling off when it’s not needed is a simple way to save. Another is adjusting the temperature settings to avoid overheating or over-cooling. An adjustment of only a degree or two can cut heating or cooling bills by two to three percent. HVAC system maintenance can influence the energy performance of the total building.
Water
Water heating in an office can account for nine percent of the total energy load. Residential-style solar water heating systems can work on office buildings too. A solar collector can cut hot water bills in half. Water-saving options in an office include Low Flush/No Flush Toilets which cut the water consumption by half. Repairing water leaks is a great way to reduce water waste. A single dripping faucet can waste up to 20 gallons of water a day. Native rather than exotic plants used for landscaping that do not require additional irrigation lead to water savings. Overwatering lawns is a leading cause of water waste in the summer.
Cars and Parking
A green office encourages commuting through use of mass transit systems and car and van-pools. A transit bus with as few as seven passengers uses less fuel per passenger mile than a single-occupant car. This results in significant savings in gasoline, parking spaces, and greenhouse gas emissions. Boosting the US rush hour traffic from one to two people per car would save 40 million gallons of gasoline a day, over 15 percent of US gasoline consumption.
Flexible Work Arrangements
Flexible Work Arrangements leading to compressed work-weeks cuts employees commute. A schedule of four 10-hour days per week cuts commuting time, cost, and emissions by 20 percent. In addition The City of Los Angeles found that its employees were 18 percent more productive when they were allowed to select their own work schedules. A compressed workweek cuts employees’ commutes.
As the growing concern over climate change increases, more corporations are searching are for eco-friendly ways of utilizing limited office space and resources. These measures deliver the twin benefits of raising work productivity and lower operating costs. The Green Office is here to stay.
