Whether you work out of your home or commute to a job, here are some
steps to take that will save on energy costs.
1. When you aren't using your Personal Computer, laser printer, or
copier machine, turn them off. Just turning this equipment off at night
and on weekends can save you up to $100 a year. Per Pacific Gas and
Electric Company (PG&E), turning computers on and off doesn't usually
shorten their lives or create energy surges but it is best to leave
them on at least an hour at a time. Per PG&E, it costs from 1 to 2
cents per hour to run a computer. That might not sound like a lot of
money but for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the cost is $131 a year.
Many people have more than one computer in their home as well as
printers or copiers. And commercial offices are loaded with this type
of equipment.
I personally have three computers and three printers. If I were to
leave them all on 24/7, my annual electricity costs would be about $786
(based on 1.5 cents per hour). I can reduce that number 85% by just
turning off my equipment when it is not in use.
2. When you are working on a document try printing as few drafts as
possible. Consider using the print preview option and editing on the
computer screen. This will not only save you electricity but paper, ink
and toner as well.
3. Use email as much as possible. Save paper and printing costs by
transferring information by modem or disk whenever possible.
4. If you are shopping for a computer, consider purchasing a notebook
computer instead of a desktop PC. A notebook computer uses one-tenth
the energy of a desktop PC and can save from $40 $100 in energy cost
per year, depending on usage.
5. Printers: Shopping for a printer? Consider the energy costs
associated with each kind. There are basically three types of printers
dot matrix, laser and ink jet. While lasers are the most popular
because of their high quality, they draw an average of 80 to 100 watts
or more when printing. Dot matrixes only use an average of 15-20 watts
and ink jets, the most energy efficient of all use only about 10 watts.
6. Copy Machine: If your copier doesn't come with "standby mode",
(which shuts them down partially using 70% less energy), consider
turning it off as much as possible. Also, the faster your copy machine,
the more energy is required per copy.
7. Fax Machines: The cheapest way to fax documents is through a fax
modem on your PC. You save on energy as well as the cost of a paper fax
machine. http://www.efax.com is a great place to get a free electronic
fax account. You can receive faxes directly into your computer and view
them as an email message.
With the pending energy crunch, we can all do a little bit more to
conserve. Imagine all the money that can be saved by adopting just a
few of these energy ideas.
I know I'm going to try harder. How about you?
About the Author
Doris Dobkins, Money Saving Expert
Author of "Financial Freedom A-Z Home Study Course"
and publisher of the free weekly ezine $mart Money New$
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