Businesses as we all know, are always thinking about the bottom line. From ways to increase revenues to ways to decrease expenses, it’s all critical stuff for any company to pay attention to.

That’s exactly why we are creating this post on energy saving tips for businesses and companies alike. And while not every business in every building will be able to implement every single tip on this list, there should be numerous ones that will be highly relevant to your business.

Saving energy will allow you to reduce overhead expenses, enhance your public view as a “going green” company (which you could use as a marketing play), or even just have better piece of mind knowing your buildings are just that much greener.

Without further ado, here is the first on the list (out of 25)…

1. Upgrade to a LED lighting system. The benefits of LED technology far surpass any other lighting technology commonly used in buildings or fluorescent, metal halide, HPS, etc). reducing the amount of energy that is going to power those lights as well.

4. Install sky lights. How about all of that natural light that is going to waste otherwise? By installing sky lights in areas where natural lighting would otherwise not get to (e.g hallways and inner rooms), you open yourself up to some huge savings by not having to have nearly as many lights on during the daytime.

5. Switch to green web hosting. This is a huge one for those companies who have lots of traffic and do a lot of business through their website. spam email has a carbon footprint? Although this won’t save your company any money, it will definitely reduce the carbon footprint associated with your company.

14. Only purchase ENERGY STAR equipment. By purchasing office equipment that is ENERGY STAR qualified, you are buying into products that are proven to be more energy efficient than those that aren’t.

15. Switch over to laptops. Desktops are always plugged in, and that can mean a lot of energy consumption. By switching to laptops, you will use 1/4th the energy associated with powering your computers.

16. Update your insulation. Those nasty drafts aren’t only uncomfortable to your employees and / or visitors, but they are also wasting a lot of energy. If you can, consider updating your insulation to stop the escape of that warm (or cold) air you are paying to output.

17. Update your windows. While you are at it, updating your windows to ones that don’t have any leaks in them will stop those drafts too. Both of these go hand in hand, and together will reduce a lot of temperature control going to waste.

18. Hold a virtual meeting. If you have days designated for meetings and not much else, then why power your entire building (and make everyone drive) if you could easily have everyone stay at home? Your employees will probably appreciate it, and you are going to save a lot of energy for that day. Technology these days makes it a whole lot easier to save on energy for business and buildings alike.

19. Take advantage of tax credits. All of this effort on saving energy will not only save you in overhead costs, but it could also phantom load is basically energy that is being consumed through a product that is entirely off. The simple solution is to unplug everything when it is not in use. Alternatively, you could shut off the power to an entire room or area when it’s not in use to ensure no phantom load waste is occurring.

23. Reduce hot water usage. By installing efficient faucets, you will reduce the amount of water that is wasted. And if you do heat that water, reducing the waste of it will reduce the amount of energy you use to heat that water.

Did you know light pollution is one of the reasons why women in developed nations are 5 times more likely to get breast cancer? That’s only one of the many issues caused by the bright lights in today’s cities and towns.

This short video explores the hidden costs of light pollution:

More problems caused by light pollution include the disrupted migratory, breeding, hunting, and sleeping patterns of many animals. Far off lights can easily disorient migrating birds, making them lose their flight patterns or start their migrations too early. Bright lights along our shorelines distract sea turtle hatchlings from their natural paths to the ocean. 

Chronic fatigue in humans, along with migraines and sexual dysfunction have been linked to higher levels of light exposure.

Not to mention how much bright lights detract from the night sky. Today’s starscapes are faint and dim compared to those of yesteryear.

We’ve seen LED rope lights transform a staircase handrail, and accent outdoor This homeowner created an inspiring word art installation on the wall of her son’s playroom. She used the screw-in mounting clips that come with the product for wall hanging.

One great tip for a project like this is to place weights (or other heavy objects) on top of your rope light to shape it properly. Often our customers say that Image via www.prettyhandygirl.com

2. A Crocheted LED-Lit Rug:  This one blew us away! The single strand of LED rope lighting was crocheted into a generic spiral pattern to create this rug. For anyone who wants to emulate, the original Image via www.wonderhowto.com

3. A Backlit Bedroom Headboard:  Image via www.removeandreplace.com

Where are you seeing LED rope lighting used lately?

One of the most important factors to consider when designing an outdoor kitchen is the lighting. Outdoor kitchen lighting needs to serve a variety of purposes, including but not limited to: task lighting so the grill master can see what they’re doing, ambient lighting for people to see, and walkway lighting to shine the way from the house to the outdoor kitchen. In this blog, we’ll be going over the best types of lighting for various goals your kitchen needs to accomplish.

Remember: whatever type of lighting you choose for various areas, it should always be rated for use in outdoor environments. Even if you have a solid roof or cover above your outdoor kitchen, you want to make sure your lights can function safely in wet or damp environments.

One of the most important elements of outdoor kitchen lighting design is task lighting around the grill. This is mostly a food safety issues: the grill master needs to be able to see whether the food is cooked properly before he or she can serve it!

Grill task lighting can be accomplished with either Halogen or LED bulbs. The most important thing is that you get a nice, bright white light—this will help you see most clearly and ensure that the food coming off the grill tastes good, is presented well, and most importantly, is safe to eat.

In addition to lighting the grill, you want to make sure all cabinets are appropriately lit. This can also be done with LEDs, which can be installed under lips in the cabinet so you won’t be able to see the lights themselves—just the glow they cast. Such lighting can enhance the aesthetics of your outdoor kitchen area while making it easier to see what you’re doing while cooking.

Once the grill lighting has been figured out, the next thing to do is make sure your eating areas are properly lit! The main goals for lighting eating areas should be as follows:

The best type of lighting for outdoor eating areas is LED, which is highly efficient and durable. When it comes to keeping insects away, meanwhile, one of the best things to do is install a ceiling fan, which can be wired with lights and will discourage insects over a wide area.

Last but not least, it’s important to make sure you have adequate lighting along any pathways from your home to your outdoor kitchen. Walkway lighting can be accomplished with any type of low-voltage lighting, but we prefer LED for this task—they’re efficient, long-lasting, and get the job done better than any other type of lighting.

The right lighting can make all the difference when it comes to your outdoor kitchen. For outdoor kitchen lighting, or any type of low voltage outdoor lighting in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric today!