How to Reduce Your Company's Energy Use

Tips for Reducing Energy Use in the Office

In 2024, sustainability is no longer an option for brands — it’s a necessity. Companies have a larger environmental footprint than people when you consider office buildings, pollution, shipments, waste, and other factors. With the climate crisis being an immediate critical issue, it’s time for companies to do their part.

Showcasing your brand’s commitment to sustainability highlights your company values. At the same time, you can bring your team together to work toward a common cause.

Want to take an impactful step forward? Here’s how to lower your company’s energy usage.

8 Tips for Reducing Energy Waste at Your Workplace

These environmental tips for companies take minimal effort to enforce and can make a big difference when it comes to helping the environment.

Reduce the Brightness of Overhead Lights

You don’t have to make a dramatic change here! Open the shades to get more natural light into the workspace, which will let you turn off some office lighting during the day.

You can also have dimmer switches installed for more control over the brightness of overhead lights. And if a room or space isn’t in use, make sure the lights are off.

Use Motion Sensor Lighting

It’s possible to have dimmable lights linked to sensors that will auto-adjust the brightness depending on how much daylight is getting in. You can also have motion sensors installed to turn off lighting in rooms after they’re empty for a certain amount of time. According to technology company Pressac, this can help save as much as 30% on lighting costs, too.

Turn Down the Brightness of Overhead Lights in the Office

Unplug Devices When They’re Done Charging

Do you notice that a lot of devices are plugged in all day long? Between phones, tablets, headphones, and laptops, practically every outlet may be occupied.

A good office-wide habit to adopt is unplugging devices once they’re fully charged. In addition to consuming less electricity, device batteries will last longer, which further limits e-waste over time.

You can also suggest that employees turn off devices that aren’t being used or put them in energy-saving mode to conserve battery life.

Switch to LED Lighting

In general, lighting makes up a huge portion of a company’s energy bill. To reduce your carbon footprint while saving money, swap halogen and incandescent bulbs for LED lights. LED lighting uses a fraction of the energy that conventional bulbs eat up.

Bonus: It may be easier to manage the temperature of the workspace, too. According to the Department of Energy, LEDs emit much less heat compared to other types of lighting.

Adjust the Thermostat

Room temperature counts when it comes to saving energy and utility costs. According to the Department of Energy, you can save up to 10% on your utility usage by being less extreme when it comes to heating and cooling.

Also consider this: By installing a programmable thermostat, you can have the temperature automatically adjusted when nobody is in the workspace, saving even more over time.

Take Advantage of Natural Light in the Office

Take Advantage of Natural Lighting

Whether your office space already has windows or skylights or you have to get them installed, relying more on natural lighting is one of the best eco-friendly business tips you can embrace. This technique, called daylighting, does more than cut down on energy usage too. This article from Roofing Magazine goes over the tax savings you can qualify for by making your commercial building more energy-efficient.

Get an Energy Audit

Not sure which sustainable business tips you’re missing out on? Consider having a professional energy audit done. Start by contacting your local utility companies and ask if they offer complementary energy audit programs.

Make Your Corporate Gifts Sustainable

Corporate gifting is one of the best ways to motivate and stay connected with your staff. It’s also an opportunity to show your company’s values. Employees who care about sustainability will want to know that the corporate gifts they receive are aligned with their principles.

Luckily, we have a number of eco-friendly, logo-branded gifts for you to consider!

Next Steps: How to Become a Carbon-Neutral Business

Setting your business on the path to becoming carbon-neutral is a large commitment. However, it’s much more doable than you think.

To start, partner with Climate Neutral or a similar organization. After measuring your business’s carbon footprint, you’ll work together to come up with a list of eco-friendly business tips to impose. Check out our article about how to become a carbon-neutral business for more information.