Home Office – Part 1 Electronics

How much energy does your home office use?  Much more than you probably realise. Here are some quick tips to reduce your energy consumption which not only helps reduce carbon emissions but will save you money on your utility bills. 

• Remove plugs & transformers from the sockets when not in use.
• Use one power strip so that you can unplug multiple machines at once.
• Minimise the number of machines you buy, opt for multi function e.g. photocopier – printer – scanner – fax machine.
• Look out for a desktop/online fax machine as less paper.
• Buy reconditioned or refurbished electronics which save you money and make effective use of a product that would have been bound for landfill.
• Looking for a new product – search for energy rated electronics.
• Always go for a repair if possible.
• Avoid throwing away old electronics, use one of the free recycling networks to find a new home.
• Contact the manufacturer to check on their product ′take back′ scheme.
• Donate old electronics to a second hand/charity shop or organisations that take old electronics for reuse in 3^rd countries.

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