A: Whether your run a business of your own from home or just spend a lot of time there telecommuting to your job, a fact of life is that you're going to be using more energy at home. A lot of it, in fact, when you start considering the office equipment, the lighting and even the increased use of home appliances like a coffee machine or frequent visits to the refrigerator.
Since I also work from home, I've been collecting lots of tips and ideas on ways to save energy, and I've found that they really can make a big difference.
The first thing is little problems that will grow bigger in cost because you're now spending even more time at home during the ay. The need to plug holes and cracks that let air escape outdoors, regulating drapes and blinds to control the sun, making sure your home has adequate insulation levels, turning off lights in empty rooms -- and making sure you've got efficient CFL bulbs in the fixtures since they'll be used more -- and all those other "common sense" energy savers now are even more important because the house isn't sitting empty all day.
Here are some specific suggestions related directly to your increased home use of computers, copiers, fax machines, lights and other energy-users:
Consider buying energy-efficient office equipment and use their energy-conserving features.
A good ink-jet printer might be adequate for your needs, and it costs less to buy than a laser printer and also uses less energy to operate. Don't forget that printers, like other equipment, use energy to keep in standby mode, so turn them off when you don't need them.
Just because you bought a new computer or other component doesn't mean it's automatically saving energy. A lot of equipment has special features and buttons that you need to activate to get them to work. Read the instruction booklet for details.
One great tip is to plug your office equipment into power strips that can be turned off with the flip of a switch, cutting out all that standby power that electronics use.
-- McClatchy-Tribune News Service
