Conserve Energy at Work

Photo taken from the ground looking up at a large, glass office building with brown window frames in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. Palm trees are in front of the office building and the sky above is blue with light, wispy white clouds.

Make a big dent in Hawai‘i's energy consumption (40% is used to power buildings) and find ways to conserve energy at work.

Conserving energy at work is another great way to reduce your carbon footprint and help Hawai‘i meet its energy goals. When you consider that on most days you spend about one-third of your day at work and that nearly 40% of the energy consumed in Hawai‘i is used to power buildings, it follows that cutting down on the amount of energy used at work can count for a lot.

Check out tips for the following businesses, which make up a significant portion of the business sector in Hawai‘i:

The Carbon Footprint of Buildings at a Glance

  • Buildings use $200 billion worth of electricity and natural gas each year in the United States.
  • If the energy efficiency of U.S. buildings improved by 10%, Americans would save about $20 billion and reduce greenhouse gases equal to the emissions from about 30 million vehicles.
  • The energy used by commercial and industrial buildings in the United States is responsible for nearly 50% of our national greenhouse gas emissions.

The tips below will help you and your coworkers conserve energy at work.

Whether you're an employee, a manager, or an executive, you have a part to play in reducing energy use at work. Start thinking about ways you can influence business decisions aimed at reducing your company's environmental impact. Pointing out that energy efficiency efforts benefit the bottom line as well as the planet can be an effective way to rally business owners and executives to the cause.

There are lots of ways to save on the up-front costs of energy-efficiency projects. Learn about Hawai‘i Energy Efficiency Program rebates and incentives.

Among the biggest energy users in the workplace are air-conditioning, lighting, and office equipment. With that in mind, here are the top-10 actions you can advocate to help reduce the amount of energy used in your workplace and support Hawai‘i's clean energy goals.

  • Cut back on air-conditioning.

    • Take advantage of the cross-breezes of the trade winds instead of using air-conditioning to cool your building.
    • Be sure to close windows and doors when the air-conditioner is on.
    • Install weather stripping and caulking to fix leaks that allow cool air to escape.
    • Have the air-conditioning system checked out and maintained by a professional regularly to be sure it's the right size for your office space and is running at optimal efficiency.
    • Position blinds and drapes to block the warm sun and keep the office cool.
    • Set the thermostat at the warmest comfortable setting.
    • Encourage employees to wear jackets and sweaters instead of using space heaters, which force air-conditioners to work harder.
    • Turn off the air-conditioning at the end of the work day.
    • If you work (or live) downtown or in Waikiki, learn more about seawater air-conditioning from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai‘i Authority, which has reportedly saved $4,000 per month since it began using cold deep seawater to cool three of its buildings. In Waikiki, discussions are under way regarding a proposed plan to cool buildings through district cooling systems using this technology. On the Big Island, a similar plan is being considered for Kona Airport.

  • Use natural or energy-efficient lighting and eliminate unnecessary lighting.

    • For desk lamps and decorative lighting, install energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which typically use 75% less energy for the same amount of light and last 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
    • Turn off lights in unoccupied offices, conference rooms, break rooms, and bathrooms. Using timers or occupancy sensors in restrooms and conference rooms also reduces the time lights are on in little-used places.
    • Use abundant, free sunlight where possible.
    • Dust light bulbs and fixtures regularly for consistently bright light.
    • Make sure all lights are turned out when the last person leaves at night.

  • Set computers to automatic sleep mode.

    Computers and monitors save energy only when power management features are activated, so make sure automatic sleep settings are turned on. Screen savers do not reduce a monitor's energy use, as some believe. Using automatic sleep mode or just turning monitors off is a better energy-saving strategy.

  • Eliminate "phantom loads."

    Battery chargers for mobile phones, PDAs, and other digital devices draw electricity when they're not in use. Unplug them when your digital devices aren't charging. Likewise, turn off and unplug coffee makers, microwaves, and toaster ovens when not in use. Use a smart power strip to cut power when it's not needed.

  • Integrate recycling and energy efficiency into your company's culture (ENERGY STAR®).


  • Launch an energy-efficiency campaign (ENERGY STAR).


  • Cut down on commuting.

    Consider the benefits of work-from-home policies, commuting options, and flexible work hours for employees. Learn more on the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Web site. Many companies are finding that such policies boost employee satisfaction tremendously while helping to reduce their environmental impact.

  • Become an ENERGY STAR Partner.

    The first step for businesses that want to conserve energy is to begin benchmarking the energy use of their buildings by taking the ENERGY STAR Challenge. Your company can advance Hawai‘i's clean energy goals and show employees and customers that it's committed to a cleaner and more sustainable environment by:


    Find out which Hawai‘i businesses use 35% less energy than others in the state at ENERGY STAR.

  • Buy green.

    Office equipment that has earned the ENERGY STAR label uses special power management features to help eliminate wasted energy. When not in use, ENERGY STAR-qualified office products automatically power down to "sleep" mode, using about half the electricity of standard equipment. Look for the ENERGY STAR logo awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when replacing desktop computers, laptops, printers, fax machines, copiers, scanners, lighting, air-conditioners, and telephones. The ENERGY STAR designation means the product has met strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by DOE and EPA. Also, commit to buying recycled paper products. They require 70% to 90% less energy to make, and they help preserve forests and slow global warming.

    The ENERGY STAR label appears on more than 50 different product categories. By using these products, your company can help lower energy use, save money, and help protect the environment.


  • Wear your energy efficiency efforts with pride.

    Encourage your company to join the growing group of organizations honored and recognized by the EPA for their outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency.

Learn from Hawai‘i organizations that have taken the ENERGY STAR Challenge.

Energy$olutions for Business

For businesses that are interested in replacing equipment or undertaking renovation or new construction projects to reduce their energy bills, Hawaiian Electric Company's Energy$olutions for Business program can help offset up-front costs through rebates and provide business-specific information on energy-saving technologies.

To gauge their energy consumption and get practical advice on ways to reduce it, businesses may want to consider the benefits of a professional energy audit.

Department of Energy
State of Hawaii