5 Sustainable and Cost-Cutting Ways to Cool Your Office During the Summer
Summertime slump isn’t just a thing for kids on break from school – office productivity can be affected in the warmer months, too. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago investigated the impact of temperature on worker productivity and absences using statistics from India. Results showed increased temperatures may cause significant economic losses on a global level as employees are less productive when the summer sun hits.
Cranking up the air conditioning is the default measure offices everywhere have taken to combat the heat, but more sustainable methods can help too. Buildings can be designed inside and out to keep the heat out without contributing to climate change. Here are five eco-friendly and cost-cutting ways to keep your office cool this summer.
1. Windows and Shading
One of the simplest ways to keep heat out of the office (or any building) is by having good insulation and well-positioned windows. External shading in the form of overhangs and louvres are conducive to preventing sunlight from hiking the inside temps. A more accessible and attainable solution for anyone is to utilize blinds and curtains to regulate incoming daylight to reduce glare and overheating.
Mesh roller shades offer a shading system that will allow for the benefits of natural light to be part of a commercial space while offering a solution to limit that light when it can become inhibiting to productivity and focus. Commercial interior design firms like ours use high quality mesh roller shades to help offices direct sunlight in such a way that the demand on air conditioning systems is reduced.
The mesh fabric deflects sunlight, and you can customize the opacity and color to balance glare and heat gain to your preferences for a space. Mesh roller shades in a commercial location provide greater energy efficiency along with durability and cleanability.
2. Maintain Air Filters
Air conditioning filters generally need to be changed every three months. Be sure to check and change your filter to keep your system functioning well without being overworked or dysfunctional due to a dirty filter. If an air filter is clogged it can then release more dirt and contaminants into the system and eventually expelling it throughout the commercial space via vents. Clogged air filters also contribute to spikes in the electricity bill and increases allergy problems for folks using the space.
3. Cool Down with Plants
What better way to go green than by adding as much real, growing greenery inside as possible? Plants help to purify indoor air, and those beautiful pops of color and life positively affect our moods. When it’s hot in the summer, they also help to bring down the temperature – even inside a commercial space. Going into a forest or wooded area in the summer, you’ll notice a decrease in temperature. An earth science study conducted by NASA explains how plants release extra moisture from their leaves into the air when the environment warms up – a process known as transpiration.
Bringing plants inside your commercial space is a simple way to reap great benefits! If you’re new to the plant world or consider yourself to be the opposite of a green thumb, start with varieties of houseplants that are known to be easy to maintain such as golden pothos, peace lilies, snake plant, spider plant, and the ZZ plant.
4. Reduce Heat by Switching to LED Bulbs
LED bulbs use a fraction of the energy of a conventional incandescent bulb, plus they release 70 to 90 percent less heat. Swapping out your current bulbs for LED if you haven’t yet is an easy way to help cut the cooling costs and temps in your commercial space this summer. By generating less heat, they may help to decrease your office air-conditioning costs.
If you’re a facility manager who has not been able to receive the go-ahead to completely convert to LED lighting, calculate the potential air-cooling energy savings to submit for consideration. LED bulbs use approximately 75 percent less energy and can last three times longer than traditional incandescent or compact fluorescent bulbs.
5. Lower Power Consumption
Call it vampire energy, phantom power, or standby mode. Whatever name it goes by, the phrases are referring to any electronics in an interior space drawing power even when they are not turned on. Appliances consuming energy when sitting unused and idle can account for as much as 20 percent of a monthly electricity bill. Every cord that stays plugged into an outlet uses an electric current, so even if they are set to sleep or standby mode, they continuously use energy.
Surge protectors are one way to decrease power consumption. By plugging office computer equipment such as printers and monitors into a secondary plug, the items will only power on when the computer is turned on. Keeping everything switched off when not in use will decrease the amount of heat being produced – effectively saving your office money and keeping occupants cool throughout the heat of summer.
Commercial Office Furniture Supplier and Interior Design Firms Serving the Lancaster, PA; Reading, PA; and Greater Phila Area
Now that we have discussed some practical and sustainable solutions for keeping your office cooler this summer, you may be searching for window treatments, sustainable furniture, or more design solutions for your business in the Lancaster, PA; Reading PA, or greater Philadelphia area. Furniture Soup offers quality services and goods for commercial spaces.
Let the experts at Furniture Soup help you find the solution to suit your vision, your space and your budget. Call us at 610-926-8700 or request a free quote for what you’re looking for. With so many wonderful office design options available, it can be a bit overwhelming to know where to get started. Furniture Soup is here to make the process a painless and productive one for you.