With energy prices at an all-time high it’s a timely reminder to practice good energy saving behaviours. Here is an illustration of what leaving your appliances on unnecessarily could be costing you.
1. Desktop Computer and Monitor
Typically, a standard desktop computer and monitor would use 0.15KW each hour, this equates to £0.03 an hour when assuming a rate of 20p per KWh.
This means that if a computer is left on for 4 hours a day unnecessarily then this would add 12p a day to your energy costs. For example, in an office of 50 people, this would be an additional £30 per week, £120 a month.
Over a six month period, this unnecessary cost would add up to £22 per person.
In terms of CO2 emissions, this creates 0.0350kg of CO2 an hour, therefore, failing to switch off a computer for 4 hours when it is not in use would create 25.53kg of CO2 every six months!
2. Five Litre Hot Water Boiler
Many staff rooms and workplace kitchens contain a hot water boiler which is often left running throughout the day, even though it only really needs to be boiling for intermittent periods throughout the workday.
Switching off the boiler after the lunch hour is an easy energy saver that is often overlooked. Using the same figures above, needlessly leaving the boiler on for 4 hours would cost £0.08p per day and create 0.093kg of emissions.
Over a six month period this equals £15 and 17.02kg of CO2 emissions.
3. Electric Heater
A generic 1KW electric heater can be one of the biggest energy consumers in the workplace, at a cost of £0.20/KWh.
Unessential use for four hours a day would therefore result in an extra £0.80 per day on your energy bill… £146 over six months.
From a carbon footprint perspective this would create 170.19kg of CO2 emissions.
It is obviously important to heat your building but careful management to ensure electric heaters are only used when necessary could save hundreds of Pounds per year.
4. LED 49” TV
Costing £0.02p per hour, a LED 49” TV can often be left on throughout the day, even if no one is watching. Making sure the TV is switched off after meetings, breaks and lunch hours can be a simple way of reducing your energy bill and carbon footprint.
If an unwatched television remains switched on for 4 hours per day, then this would result in an additional £12 and 14.47kg of CO2 every six months.
5. Photocopier
A surprisingly high energy consumer, costing £0.10 per hour, the photocopier is likely to be unused for the majority of the working day but is often switched on from open to close.
Making sure the photocopier is only turned on when it is being used may cause employees to wait a few extra seconds while it initiates, but at a cost of £0.80p per eight hour workday, this is an energy saving behaviour worth encouraging.
Each hour the photocopier is switched off saves 0.1166kg of CO2 emissions.
Summary
If all of the above appliances are left on unnecessarily for four hours per day, then over a six month period this would add £268 to your energy bill. In a large office with dozens of computers, and multiple heaters and TVs, this figure could reach over £1000 per year.
Developing good practices amongst your staff can not only lower annual costs but also significantly reduce your impact on the environment and help towards any compliance targets you may have.
