Older homes have an incredible amount of charm and nostalgia. While some of that charm stems from the old-world construction practices of ornate stonework and interesting woodworking, there are also negative aspects of living in a dated home, namely the electrical system. We bought our first older home a few years ago, and it has been interesting to see just how much of a problem the electrical system has been. We knew that we needed to update a large portion of the space, so we started going through and having sections replaced. This website is here to help other people to know when to work with electricians.
Overhead costs are a serious concern in many offices. The cost of electrical energy is of particular concern for many people. An office can be running a large number of appliances at any given time and these, together with the lighting can use up a lot of electricity.
If you're not careful, you may find the electrical costs of your office cutting deep into your profits. How can you ensure your office has a more efficient electrical system?
Allow for Natural Lighting
The cost of lighting can be very significant in the office. Depending on how large your office is, ensuring it's well-lit may require the use of multiple light fixtures. Unfortunately, many people are forced to use artificial lighting even during the day. This is due to poor design of offices that leaves them starved of sunlight.
If you're in a position to do so, ensure the office is designed in a way that allows for adequate natural lighting, e.g. windows facing the right direction, skylights etc. This can limit the use of artificial lighting during the day.
Energy Efficient Lighting
If your office still uses traditional incandescent bulbs, you're throwing money away every time you turn on your lights. There are many modern solutions that provide the same level of lighting while consuming a lot less energy. LED bulbs, for instance, use a fraction of the energy consumed by standard bulbs.
Avoid Phantom Power Losses
Do you have one of those appliances that never really turns off but instead enters a standby mode? This standby mode is supposed to reduce the amount of time it takes to restart the machine. However, the appliance will still be consuming a little bit of power in this mode, resulting in what is known as phantom power loss.
If you have multiple devices in your office that are always either on or in standby mode, you could be using up a lot of energy for limited convenience. Turn off the devices at the outlet or unplug them.
Switch Off Everything
Leaving on lights, computers, and other appliances is yet another problem with commercial electrical systems. Ensure you and your employees don't leave anything on in the office when you leave at the end of the day.
Perform an Energy Audit
It's also a good idea to have a commercial electrician perform an energy audit of your office. This will help you to understand what consumes the most energy and how this can be improved.