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Help Reduce Energy Use and Costs
What Federal Employees Can Do to Help Reduce Energy Use and Costs:
Immediate Lighting Actions to Take:
- Turn off fluorescent lights when leaving an area for more than one minute. (During non emergencies, five minutes is recommended, to keep from excessively reducing lamp life).
- Turn off incandescent lights when leaving areas for any period
- In areas with sufficient day lighting, turn off lights. Adjust blinds, if available, to reduce glare
- Use task lighting and turn off general lighting where it is feasible to maintain sufficient lighting levels for safety and productivity
- Turn off display and decorative lighting
Personal Computers, Office Equipment and Appliance Measures:
- Turn off monitors and printers when not in use
- Ensure Energy Star power-down features are activated
- If computers do not have Energy Star features available, turn them off when leaving the office for more than 30 minutes
- Ensure radios and personal appliances, such as coffee pots, are turned off
- Try not to use copiers during peak demand (between 7:30 - 9:30 a.m., noon to 2:00 p.m., and 4:30 - 6:00 p.m). Turn off selected copiers. Ensure power saver switch on copiers is enabled.
Heating/Air Conditioning Measures:
- Wear appropriate attire to make temperatures more acceptable
- Ensure that books, files, flowers, or other obstructions do not block ventilation grilles and fan coil units
Last Reviewed 3/26/2009