We’ve been measuring our carbon emissions on a number of fronts and have some initial results in. As we all at Armstrong like spreadsheets and graphs I have presented the results as such below…
First off we have office electricity usage, which we captured using the OWL device attached to the Harpenden office meter, which tells us at any one point in time how many KWh (Kilowatts used in an hour) we are consuming. I have plotted the average usage over the working day below.
The pattern of usage appears to be in line with what you would expect, but at 6pm when the office is virtually empty I would have expected the power consumption to go right down, as opposed to around 75% of the peak consumption.
After a brief wander round the office, it appears that even with most of the PC’s switched off there is still a huge amount of power being consumed by printing and FAX kit on standby, LCD screens, lights, air conditioning etc. still in operation. I think we need some more research to understand what contributes the most to our office power consumption.
5 responses so far ↓
Simon H // April 18, 2008 at 11:43 am |
There are some clever power saving sockets available n0w. Timed ones which switch off at certain times of day/night which are perfect for printers etc (as long as the printers have persistant settings memory). Also can get ones for pcs that have several sockets in them. When the pc power is turned off the socket knows and cuts power to all the sockets (ideal for monitors, usb hubs, scanners, local printers etc).
Anna Carrington // April 18, 2008 at 1:59 pm |
Small things that are left plugged in & on at the socket, such as phone chargers, consume constant power. And every little helps!
Re: lights – I think there needs to be a balance between efficiency and security. In winter the car park is so dark that if you are working late or come back to the office when everyone else has gone its not great. So the entrance hall lights are handy to have on in these instances.
Perhaps some longer life/energy saving lights or motion dectectors as Mike suggested?
alexreeves // April 18, 2008 at 3:35 pm |
I think there are some very cost effective solutions out there, I definately like the master socket idea, as I have one at home for my PC, which also turns off the printer and speakers when I power down.
Maybe a few signs up as well reminding people to switch off at night woudn’t go amiss.
Alex
Trevor Byrnes // April 30, 2008 at 5:00 pm |
It seems the largest daytime power consumption times are around 10am and 3pm. Could this be cuppa-time?
Are the kettles our biggest killers on power in the day?
Might I suggest that a gas-fuelled kettle be used in the kitchen? is there a gas hob?
I’m not sure of the exact carbon benefit but it could be worth a try.
Secondly, I like the idea of an employer sponsoring a piece of empty land that could be returned to forrest by regular plantings to counter our carbon usage, in Spain…do we have a private jet yet?
Lastly. As wind is the most relative renewable energy resource (more wind in winter when more energy is used), has the landlord been asked about placing a wind turbine on the premises? Apparently a reduction of 25-30% in usage and cost is very likely.
alexreeves // May 2, 2008 at 1:57 pm |
Maybe if we could get the water heater (which is gas powered) to stop filling your cup with limescale then it might be a winner!
Offsetting (although I don’t necessarily agree with the concept, feels like abdication of responsibility) might be the only way to justify our Spain trip.
And wind power or solar panels could be considered if a compelling financial argument could be put together. I suspect a landlord would need to be convinced, and local resident may object to wind turbines…
All good ideas to put before the board in May, I will let you know how I get on….