Going green at work encompasses everything from car sharing to separating out your used tea bags from your shredded paper, but nowadays, there’s no need to leave cutting-edge technology behind when you set about saving the planet.
Here are six of the best eco gadgets designed to cut energy use and reduce bills for your business:
‘Smart’ Power Strips
Devices left on standby could be responsible for racking up between 5 and 10% of your office energy bill, but it isn’t always practical to unplug computers and printers every time someone leaves their desk.
Consider using one of the new-generation ‘smart’ power strips to reduce the power consumed by task lighting, computer accessories, fans, space heaters and other plug-in gizmos, and rest assured that all your devices will be properly shut down at the end of the working day.
While basic models simply cut the power to any device left in standby mode, more sophisticated strips use ‘occupancy sensing’ to decide whether a desk is being used or not, automatically turning on or off in response to employees’ physical presence. Other products are controlled by ‘current-sensing’ programmable timers and can be scheduled to automatically turn off or on at designated times of day or night.
Solar Gorilla Laptop Charger
For around £140 apiece, this compact solar panel kit produces 10 watts of power in direct sunlight and is powerful enough to run a laptop for between two to six hours. It can also charge almost any portable electronic device including a notebook, mobile phone, sat nav, iPod, digital camera and more.
Perfect for field staff and any workaholic employee who insists on keeping in touch even in their downtime, this tough and water- resistant travel gizmo is simple to use.
Simply plug in your device, open the two panels and expose to direct sunlight. Unlike small solar chargers, this charger does not have any internal power storage but works by directly charging the battery of the connected appliance.
On a bright day with intermittent sunshine, tests show that it is possible to charge a mobile phone from flat to 100% in around 1.5 hours. The Solar Gorilla comes with a neoprene zip case and a pack of 15 assorted connectors.
Green coffee maker
Built in part from recycled coffee grounds and featuring steam knobs and filter holder handles constructed from unused wooden pallets, the Sanremo Verde claims to be the world’s first eco-friendly espresso machine. Using computer-controlled heating systems to reduce power consumption by up to 35% compared to that used by leading rivals, the machine’s auto shut-off function turns the coffee maker off when not in use and reduces power to parts of the system during quieter periods of the working day.
Advanced insulation developed especially for the purpose helps the machine save even more electricity. Although the product was designed for upscale coffee shops and caterers, the growing list of corporate users includes early-adopter Google, which bought the prototype for its London HQ.
According to its makers, the Verde not only provides a new talking point for staff congregating at the coffee machine but also leaves a carbon footprint “as tiny as a coffee bean”.
Eco Button
According to a recent study, 1.8 million computers in the UK are regularly left on unnecessarily, wasting around 1.5 billion kWh of energy worth approximately £115m, or around 700,000 tonnes of carbon: the same as that emitted by 170,000 cars.
This award-winning, simple device – invented in Britain and available for both business and home use – enables you to power down your computer every time you take a break. You can press any key, and it returns to where you were the instant you get back.
Each time you press the button, your computer and monitor are put into the most economical and efficient power saving mode available; almost the same as when they are fully shut down. Individual employees can see what they save each time they press the button, which is both rewarding for the individual and an incentive to try even harder. Available from £10 apiece, this is one small but important click for humankind.
Jet Enterprise Printer
Many fancy LaserJet printers on the market have an automatic sleep mode, but it can be a nuisance when they take ages to wake up and smell the coffee. Aimed squarely at the energy-conscious business market, HP’s Colour LaserJet Enterprise M552 and M553 printers not only claim first-rate image quality at 53% lower typical electricity consumption than previous models, but they also print the first page of your document within nine seconds.
Armed with their own remote network software tool, you can pre-set automatic sleep and wake modes on all printing devices across the company, and by producing two-sided documents as quickly as one-sided, it is possible to save on both paper and energy.
Like other new-generation printers, there’s an intuitive control panel to help manage settings and the print options include A5-sized paper. High-volume print jobs are catered for with a capacity of up to 2,300 sheets.
iViTi ON Light Bulbs
iViTi ON is a high quality LED light bulb (60 Watt equivalent) that provides safety and security in your business by automatically staying on for up to three hours if there’s a power cut. The bulb then recharges when the electricity returns. As well as the significant cost and Co2 savings that can be made by replacing inefficient light bulbs with iViTi ON LED light bulbs, the bulbs can also be invaluable in emergencies where supply is interrupted (such as if there is a fire). IViTi ON light bulbs were invented in the UK and are designed and manufactured here too.
IViTi ON light bulbs will be available from September 2015 through Rexel Energy Solutions. For IViTi ON light bulbs and other energy saving products from Rexel, energy company E.ON is offering its customers exclusive savings of up to 40% off trade prices.
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with E.ON, sponsor of the Efficiency hub.
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