Put Your Findings to Work!

There are many low- and no-cost ways to save energy and water in your building. Here are some quick and easy tips from ENERGY STAR® to start saving today. [1]

Improve Your Operations & Maintenance

  • Audit your facility at night to see what’s on that shouldn’t be.
  • Optimize equipment run times and sequencing.
  • Perform monthly maintenance on HVAC equipment to ensure year-round efficient operation.
  • Change or clean HVAC filters monthly during peak use seasons to improve air quality and reduce operating costs.

Adjust Your Thermostat

  • Adjust your thermostat set points based on the season and building occupancy.
  • Consider investing in a thermostat with scheduling capabilities.

Reduce Your Plug Load

  • Utilize power management settings on IT equipment and all office equipment such as copiers and desktop computers to reduce energy consumption.
  • Swap out power strips for “smart” ones that designate what electronics should always stay on and which ones do not need power when not in use.

Adjust Your Lighting

  • Turn off lights (manually or with motion detectors) when not needed to reduce lighting costs 10 to 40 percent.
  • Upgrade your lightbulbs to LEDs, which use up to 75 percent less energy and last 8 to 25 times longer than incandescent or halogen bulbs.

Upgrade Your Water Fixtures to WaterSense-labeled Fixtures

  • Fixtures and equipment in restrooms and laundry rooms can account for almost 50 percent of total building water consumption and significantly add to energy costs when requiring heated water. Upgrading fixtures and equipment to products with the WaterSense® label can provide significant savings.

[1] Adapted from: U.S. EPA. (n.d.) Low and no-cost energy efficiency measures. ENERGY STAR. Retrieved August 17, 2016, from https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/facility-owners-and-managers/existing-buildings/save-energy/stamp-out-energy-waste.

This is a project of the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative, which is partially funded by California utility customers and administered by San Diego Gas & Electric® (SDG&E) under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. The Center for Sustainable Energy® is a member of the collaborative. Trademarks are property of their respective owners.