With many people working from home, the home office has become a hub for energy fueled activities, from writing papers on the computer to printing out paperwork to send in to the office. Though pollution from traveling to and from work or school may have gone down because of stay at home orders, home office energy efficiency is still a big drain on your energy bill and our environment.
Natural gas and coal generated electricity can release greenhouse gasses into the air that become confined to our atmosphere and trap thermal energy. In normal concentrations, greenhouse gasses are helpful because they stop our planet from freezing, however, the increase in greenhouse gasses has led to harmful effects such as rising sea levels, extinction of species, and the melting of polar ice caps. Because “natural gas-fired generators provided 39% of electricity generation” in America according to the U.S Energy Administration’s annual survey of electric generators, energy is a huge part of Americans’ carbon footprint; the WECC and Rockies region emits 1,274.7 pounds of greenhouse gasses per megawatt hour (EPA, “Power Profiler”). If we take steps to reduce energy use in our homes, we can help decrease the carbon footprint of both our region and our homes. Follow the tips below to make your home office more efficient.
Computers are a large source of energy use in home offices. A big misconception about reducing energy usage from computers is that computers run more efficiently if they are never turned off. However, most PCs become useless before switching them on and off has a major effect on their processing ability. To save energy and the environment, consider turning off your monitor when you won’t be using your PC for over 20 minutes and additionally turning off the CPU if you aren’t planning on using your PC for over 2 hours.
Another way to improve the energy efficiency of your electronics is to activate power management settings. This Energy Star guide will walk you through how to change your power management settings on your device. Along with activating power management savings, turn down the brightness on your device to 70% or lower. This can save up to 20% of the energy your monitor uses (Potkin, “Reduce Monitor Brightness to Reduce Energy”)!
When it's time for a new computer, consider purchasing an Energy Star certified computer to use 30-60 percent less energy than a non certified alternative. Consider donating your old computer if it can still be used before taking it to a recycling center. No waste is still better than recycled waste. If your computer can not be donated, take it to a certified local recycling center. Use this E-Stewards electronic recycling plant locator to find a certified recycler to take your old electronics.
Works Cited
BBC Staff. “Impact of Human Activity.” BBC,
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EPA Staff. “Basic Information about Electronics Stewardship.” United States Environmental
Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/smm-electronics/basic-information-about-
-- “Electronics Donation and Recycling.” United States Environmental Protection
-- “Power Profiler.” United States Environmental Protection Agency,
https://www.epa.gov/egrid/power-profiler#/RMPA
E-Stewards Staff. “Find a Recycler.” e-Stewards, http://e-stewards.org/find-a-recycler/
Manowitz, David. “Natural gas generators make up largest share of U.S. electricity
generation capacity.” U.S Energy Information Administration,
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=45496
Potkin, Erin. “Reduce Monitor Brightness to Reduce Energy.” Harvard University
US Department of Energy Staff. “Energy Efficient Computers, Home Office Equipment, and
Electronics.” U.S Department of Energy,