Home Office Equipment: Go Green and Save Money

Keep your Home Office Equipment Eco-Friendly

So, you have decided on a location, decorated, furnished and set up your home office, and decided on a computer.

In this article you’ll find helpful tips on

1. how to evaluate the electronic equipment in your home office
2. quick energy-saving tips
3. cool ways to recycle in your home office

Evaluate Your Home Office Electronics

I was amused to discover when I moved to this tiny tropical island, that people still used faxes – I haven’t used one in years!  If you still have a fax machine, assess if you genuinely still need it, and if not, donate or re-cycle it properly, or find a manufacturer with a take-back option.

A scanner can be useful – you can store things electronically (searchable – very handy!) and recycle the paper (unless you need to keep originals for the taxman).  You can shred your documents with a shredder for added security from identity theft, if you have enough documents to justify it.  Use the shredded paper for packaging material.

Most people want to have a copier – again, assess if this is truly necessary for the work you do at home – and a printer.  I am finding (rather to my surprise, I must admit) that I am surviving very well without a printer.  The occasional things I absolutely have to print, are done either at a local business services shop or on the printer in my husband’s office – it is already purchased and in regular use.  I saved money by not buying one, and reduced my space requirements and my demand for new stuff.  It does mean a little advance planning, but the benefits are worth it.

If you are going to buy a printer make sure it is energy star rated and prints double-sided. You’ll save money on paper, ink and electricity.  Again, consider buying used and save more money.

Use electronic communications as much as your business relationships allow.   If you need a smart phone consider energy ratings, recycled and recyclable electronics, renewable chargers, and buyback programs.

Easy Energy-Saving Tips for Your Home Office

Now that you know which electronic equipment you absolutely have to have, let’s look at saving even more money through electricity savings.  Here are 4 easy tips:

1. 

   By making maximum use of natural light, you can cut down on the number of lights that you turn on during the day.  Switch to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) or LEDs, which cost more but last considerably longer than ‘normal’ incandescent bulbs and are recyclable as well.

2. Use rechargeable batteries: One rechargeable battery can replace up to 400 one-time-use batteries.  By reducing your demand for new batteries, you will avoid the manufacture, transportation and packaging involved in new disposable batteries.
3. Make use of improved power strips: Even when your electronic devices are switched off, many of them still consume electricity.  Perhaps you will not remember to unplug every electrical appliance you own at the end of each day, so consider investing in “Smart” power strips which automatically stop idle current.  (Of course, this applies not only in your home office, but throughout your home – TV, coffee pot, microwave etc.).  It is not a vast amount of electricity saved, but when multiplied by multiple people in a city, it can make a real difference.  And you save money on your utility bill.
4. Go solar.   Many stores sell attractive LED desk lights or accent lighting which use solar-powered rechargeable batteries.  You don’t need to have a power outlet close by, or worry about (more) cables.  You can keep working through the night if you have to, with the power of the sun.  Many cell phone manufacturers offer solar-powered phone chargers or chargers which switch off automatically when the phone is fully charged.

Re-Use and Recycle  in your Home Office

The next step is to reuse, which includes tasks like printing on both sides of a sheet of paper, saving paperclips, rubber bands and file folders to use again, and choosing refillable pens and ink cartridges rather than buying new ones. Given the hefty amount of packaging that so many supplies come in, you may even find clever ways to use it as storage.

And then there’s recycling. If you set aside containers labeled specifically for this purpose, recycling easily becomes a habit, just like drinking your morning coffee.   Keep recycling bins handy and obvious so you will use the in your home office.  So many things can be recycled these days — junk mail, white paper, cardboard and packaging materials, and even ink cartridges. In fact, many manufacturers of ink cartridges will pay you money or give you a credit toward your next ink purchase if you send the cartridges back to them.  There are plenty of easy ways to recycle your cell phone, from dropping it off at Best Buy, Target, or Verizon, or donating it to charity.  Laptop cases are available which are made from 100% recycled materials.  External hard drives and charging stations can be made from bamboo, a renewable resource

When you work from home, simply extend your household efforts to recycle, save energy and reduce consumption to your home office.   Keep a list and try to purchase what you need in one trip, or order online to reduce vehicle use.

Oh, and don’t forget to congratulate yourself on your entrepreneurial spirit, and your reduced environmental footprint!  By not driving to work and occupying additional office space, you are off to a great, green start.

If you have a home office, how have you made it eco-friendly?

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