Want to be environmentally conscious while you work from home? Here are some practical ways to get started.
While you’re likely skipping the daily commutes to and from the office now that you’re working from home, there are other energy-consuming factors to consider.
As researchers at MaREI highlighted last year, working from home has caused every day to become like the weekend in terms of electricity use, with a pattern developing in homes that replicates a weekend energy demand profile seven days a week.
With that in mind, you might be wondering how you can be more environmentally conscious as you work from home. In this infographic, UK co-working company Use Space has outlined some of the steps you can take towards a greener home office.
Its first tip is to opt for LED lights instead of incandescent bulbs. Though these are more expensive, they last longer and are more cost-efficient in the long term.
Another idea is investing in a smart power strip, which is an extension cable that detects when you’re not using your plugged-in devices and turns them off.
There are also plenty of eco-friendly office supplies worth considering, including recycled paper and pencils and refillable pens. Check out retailers like GreenOffice.ie and Little Green Shop for some inspiration.
And for something you can do in a matter of minutes, get rid of your screensaver. “Whenever you leave your computer and it switches to your screensaver, it’s using unnecessary electricity and consuming energy that’s going to waste,” Use Space says.
“To improve sustainability in your office and working day, remove your screensaver. Instead, change your computer settings so that it automatically goes into hibernation or sleep mode when you’re not active on it. This reduces any wasted electricity usage.”
Click to enlarge. Infographic: Use Space
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