Saving Energy: Tips for Your Workplace

By Erin Lang
Product Management, Sun Microsystems

We all know it's important to save energy these days. With ever-rising demand, the suffering environment and tight budgets, every watt counts. What many people don't realize, however, is that each one of us can make simple changes in our workplace to save energy. And it's easy! Here are some tips.

For your computer:
1) Use your computer's power saving settings. Adjust your settings so that your screen turns off after a few minutes of idle, and so that your computer goes to sleep shortly thereafter. Here are the Climate Savers Computing power management recommendations.

2) Close idle applications. If you're not using it, close it. Your computer's performance will increase, and power drawn will decrease.

3) Turn off your computer at the end of the day – don't just put it to sleep. Sleep is a low-power state, not a no-power state.

For your office:
1) Turn off anything that's plugged in when you aren't using it. This includes computer monitors, lights, radios, CD players, printers and anything else with an on/off switch.

2) Unplug power supplies that aren't currently charging a battery or powering a device, or plug them all into a power strip and turn the strip off when they aren't being used. Even while a power supply is idle and not providing power, it still draws energy.

3) Use natural lighting when possible. If your office has a window with enough light coming in, turn off the lights during the day.

4) Turn heat and air conditioning down/off overnight and over the weekend when you're not there.

These easy changes can help make a large difference. Try a few and see for yourself!