The Office of Energy and Sustainability’s Student Ambassadors have several tips members of the campus community should keep in mind before leaving their offices for winter break to help make Case Western Reserve University more sustainable.
Review the following suggestions for reducing energy waste in the office over break:
- Turn off computers, copiers and printers, and other computer or lab equipment.
- Eliminate vampire power by unplugging idle electronics or turn a power strip off to unplug all its devices at once, such as computers, space heaters, chargers and printers.
- Turn off lights, even small task lights.
- Be sure any operable windows are shut and locked.
- Invest in “smart” power strips, which can be timer-equipped, current sensing, or occupancy sensing to reduce energy waste. These power strips also sometimes have remote controls.
- Choose energy-efficient equipment that can be identified with the ENERGY STAR logo.
- Consolidate printers and copiers and use centralized printing for your office suite.
- Activate sleep settings on all office machines. Suggested computer settings: display sleep after 5 minutes of inactivity and CPU sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity.
- Avoid screensavers, especially those that use 3-D effects, as they can consume even more energy than active mode.
- Be sure to turn off lights when not in use or when natural daylight is sufficient, and use task-specific lighting when feasible. This can reduce lighting expenses by 10 to 40 percent.
