Starting your own business or working from home for an employer can be an incredibly exciting endeavor. Remote working allows you to set your own schedule (within reason), avoid the daily commute, and even design your own office.

But the more you work from home, the more you’re going to be consuming more energy. After all, there will be lots of stuff plugged in and running – from your computer and crucial devices to lighting, heating and cooling and other stuff.

Since the last thing you want is a huge energy bill to deal with, it might be useful to start thinking about how you can make your office as efficient as possible – just in time for the new year.

#1 Use a Laptop (and a Power Strip)

If you’re only occasionally working from home, or you don’t need to access a lot of computing power to get tasks done, then you might consider using a laptop instead of a desktop. Laptops consume up to 80% less energy than their bulky computer counterparts.

While you’re working from your laptop, consider plugging that and any other devices that you need into a power strip too. This simply means that all you need to do is flip a switch on your strip at the end of the day, rather than turning everything off individually.

It’s much easier to remember to turn things off this way so that you’re not consuming excess electricity.

#2 Switch to Energy Efficient Ethernet

Your home network is going to be a huge part of your home office setup. How you choose to run that network could have an impact on your ability to save energy.

For instance, an Energy Efficient Ethernet, or “EEE” reduces the amount of power that you consume on your local area network when you’re not creating much activity.

With an EEE, your network will be able to shift naturally between low-power and normal modes easily, so you don’t get any service interruptions, but you do reduce the power that you’re using.

Make sure that you have an EEE running to conserve as much energy as possible.

#3 Adjust Your Lighting

One of the easiest ways to reduce the energy use in your office and your home at the same time is to replace any old-fashioned or standard lightbulbs.

Today, it’s much easier to get hold of energy-efficient LED lightbulbs that use a lot less electricity than their traditional counterparts. Energy-efficient bulbs consume up to 80% less energy than other bulbs, and they often last longer too.

As well as switching to a different kind of lighting, you can also think about using task lighting instead of ambient lighting. In other words, use a lamp instead of your overhead light when you don’t need a lot of extra light.

#4 Upgrade Your Office

Today’s home office workers can have a modern looking office right in their homes. Gone are the days when “home office” was a synonym for a kitchen desk and chair with a laptop.

Today, you can draw inspiration from all the latest modern design trends and create your space to match your working style and requirements.

If you’re considering to do some changes around your office space, it might be worth paying attention to replacing some of your outdated devices with more energy-efficient alternatives.

For instance, look for printers, scanners, and other essentials that come with a high energy rating, so you know that you’re not going to be sucking up too much electricity.

Additionally, when you can, try to avoid printing documents entirely. You can always send information to people straight over the internet today or send documents to your phone, so you can read them on the go.

#5 Go for Affordable Comfort

Creating the perfect home office isn’t just about making sure that you have the right devices available to you. It’s also essential to make sure that you’re comfortable when you’re working.

This could mean having air conditioning and heating systems set up. If that’s the case, think about whether you can use a space heater or cooler, rather than relying on heating your entire home at once.

Additionally, it’s often a good idea to spend a little extra money on some window treatments if you can. This will stop cold from coming into your home during the winter and keep the heat out during summer too.

#6 Know When to Switch Off

Finally, when you’re working from home, it can be challenging to know when you should be switching the devices off and focusing on time with your family.

To maintain a good work/life balance, set a time each day when you’ll switch your computer and all other devices off. This will not only reduce the amount of energy that you’re using – it could also help you to avoid the stress of burning yourself out at work too.

You could even use the time that you spend “unplugged” going out for walks with your family, which means that you won’t be using any extra electricity at all.

Creating an Energy-Efficient Home Office

Making your home office more energy efficient isn’t as tough as it seems. All you need is the right strategy, and a plan to invest in the most efficient devices.

With the tips above, you’ll have everything you need to design an office that keeps you productive, without draining your bank account or having a negative impact on the environment.
 
 
 
About the author of the article

Joe Peters is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and an ultimate techie. When he is not working his magic as a marketing consultant, this incurable tech junkie devours the news on the latest gadgets and binge-watches his favorite TV shows. Follow him on @bmorepeters