One of the newest trends in energy needs management is mapping energy use in workspaces. EthoSource is involved in many green initiatives (read about one of our LEED partnerships), since re-using furniture has a much smaller carbon footprint than buying new office furniture. We also make a point of sustainability in our own company. Naturally, we’re interested in approaches that let companies reduce their energy use.
Mapping energy use in a building allows a company to identify the areas that have more light than they need and those that have too little. Areas that have fluctuations in temperature can be identified and differences in energy needs for electronics and machinery can be pinpointed.
Sometimes it’s as simple as noticing a hallway that is empty most of the day but is lit just as brightly as hallways that are used regularly throughout the day. Sensor lights, which come on as people enter a space and go off as they leave, can save a lot of energy in a situation like this.
Sometimes it’s more complex. Without mapping, however, decisions about energy use can be based on guesswork. Mapping allows companies to gather accurate information about their ongoing energy use.
With this information, lighting, heat, and facility use can be planned to match the actual needs of the various parts of the workplace. Problem-solving can be brought to bear on areas that are using more resources than necessary. Some users of the technology even suggest that “friendly competition” could encourage creative ideas for cutting down on energy use — if consumers know that one company uses less energy than another, they may prefer the greener company and a little peer pressure might make a difference.
Choosing pre-owned office furniture doesn’t make a difference in your day to day energy use, but it can make an enormous difference in the amount of energy required to outfit your offices. Think of all the ways additional energy is used to make new office furniture:
- Making steel, which is the basis of most top quality office furniture, is one of the most energy-intensive undertakings. Even when steel is recycled, a lot of the raw material is lost in recycling, and a lot of energy is required for the process.
- More than half of all new office furniture in the U.S. today is shipped here from China and then trucked across the country. The energy use involved is enormous.
- Sending old furniture to a landfill and building new uses plenty of energy, compared with moving furniture from an office that no longer needs it to an office where it can continue to serve.
Browse ourcubicles, chairs, desks, and other used office furniture to see how painless is can be to reduce your carbon footprint.