How Your Building Can Help Preserve the Environment
Recently, the Atelier has been going through upgrades to make it a more environmentally friendly building. Solar panels have been installed to increase the efficiency of the buildings energy usage. Additionally, sensors have been added to the hallways to preserve energy and help the environment. In addition to these two upgrades that can help make your building more green, there are many other renovations that you can make to your building to make it more eco-friendly.
Solar installations
While solar panel installations might seem extremely expensive and a waste of money, it is actually a huge money saver. The initial investment for solar panels is large but very quickly the savings that you make from using the energy that your building is making instead of paying the electricity company for electric is tremendous. Solar power is sustainable and renewable, which means that we will never run out of it. The panels don’t emit anything harmful into the environment so they are extremely eco-friendly. When it comes to saving money, solar panels require very little maintenance, so once they are installed each year only a small amount of maintenance is required to keep them working properly. Solar panels are definitely an investment that pay off in the long run in terms of money and environmental benefits.
Get energy efficient appliances
If you are in the market for new appliances and want to go green, look for appliances that have the HE logo. This logo means that it is an energy star certified appliance and it uses less energy than non-certified appliances. As with solar panels, while they might cost you more on the initial investment the savings in the long run outweigh the additional upfront cost.
Use fluorescent light bulbs
Many people have been switching their homes and buildings over to fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs can last up to 12 times longer than a regular incandescent bulb. Once again, the initial cost of fluorescent bulbs is greater than incandescent bulbs, but as your energy bill will reflect, you will save more in the long run. If you don’t want to pay to replace all of the bulbs in your house for fluorescent bulbs, just switching out half of them and keeping the other half as regular incandescent bulbs will help save you money.
Install light sensors to preserve energy
As the Atelier did in the hallways, light sensors are a great way to preserve energy. Sensors are able to detect when a room is occupied or not and can turn the lights on or off accordingly. For those people who always forget to turn the light off, sensors are a great way to ensure that your forgetful mind doesn’t hike up your energy bill. Along the same lines, sensors are great for places like hallways like get used often but whose lights don’t need to be kept on all the time.
Replace your windows
Windows labeled as Energy Star are much more energy efficient than normal windows. Non-energy efficient windows such as single pane windows and windows with aluminum frames are more likely to cause you to lose heat during the winter months and cool air during the summer, which can have a huge effect on your energy bill every month. If you are looking to replace your windows look for double panel windows and other vinyl frames. Having the extra insulation will make a huge difference in your energy consumption.