Green Office Guidelines Actions towards a low-carbon office

Green Office Guidelines

Actions towards a low-carbon office

Renovate your office!

If you are going to renovate your office, and you have some budget for making your office greener, please consider the following:

Action A: Improve Building Insulation and Air Sealing

Reduce the amount of heat absorbed through your roof, walls, floors and windows, so as to reduce the cooling load on your air-conditioning system. This saves energy!

a)     Walls/Floor/Ceiling/Roof (Energy saving potential: 5-10%)

• Install internal insulation, which act as heat barriers.
• Some kinds of insulation material can also be applied to the outside of buildings.
• Painting roofs and external walls white will reflect heat and keep the inside of the building nice and cool.

b)     Windows (Energy saving potential: 5-10%)

• Install double- or triple-glazed windows.
• Motorized window blinds respond to sunlight and temperature changes both inside and outside the building.
• Placing awnings (sun shades) over your windows will prevent heat absorption and reduce your air conditioning load.

Action B: Improve ventilation and lighting systems:

Ensure good ventilation and maximise natural lighting so far as possible. Your lighting and air conditioning systems won’t have to work so hard, and won’t consume so much energy.

a)     Air-conditioning system (Energy saving potential: 10-30%)

• Old air conditioning systems are less energy-efficient. If they are due to be replaced, choose a new energy-saving system.
• Some new air conditioners have non-electric chillers that can run on natural gas or exhaust heat from local sources. They are more energy-efficient than systems with electric chillers.

b)     Fresh Air Circulation System (Energy saving potential: 5-15%)

• Fresh air that is taken in consumes energy, especially in areas where there is a significant difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures.
• Put as much distance as possible between the intake pipe and the exhaust.
• Install a Fresh Air Heat Exchanger, which will cool down the air from outside as it is being taken into the building, again reducing the cooling load on your air conditioning system.

c)     Lighting System (Energy saving potential: 3-8%)

• Install energy-efficient lighting. This is 5 to 10 times more efficient than incandescent lighting.
• Energy-efficient lighting will produce less heat and minimise air-conditioning needs.

Establish YOUR CARBON POLICY!

Every organisation can do this at almost no cost! Please take action to avoid unnecessary GHG emissions!

Action A: Monitor carbon emissions from your workplace

Understand the current emission pattern of your organisation. This will enable you to design a carbon reduction mechanism for your organisation.

a)     Set up monitoring parameters. You may want to consider the following:

• Air Travel and Ground Transportation
• Utilities
• Paper Consumption
• Goods and Services
• Recycling and Waste

b)     Calculate carbon emissions and publish an Office Emissions Report

• Set your level of carbon emissions from the previous year as a baseline
• Produce an annual or biannual report to demonstrate your commitment to the targets

Action B: Set up mechanisms to reduce carbon emission

Design your own carbon reduction mechanisms and implement environmental policies to reduce carbon emissions in your office. Here are some options:

a)     Set up reduction targets. These can be voluntary or compulsory, and they may be established at organisation, project or individual level. Targets can also be activity-based; for example, an activity target could aim to reduce air travel or paper consumption for the whole organisation.

b)     Use the power of notification. Circulate information about how individuals, projects or the whole organisation are performing against the targets.

c)     Create incentives. You could have a Carbon Reduction Award, giving prizes or a bonus to staff who contribute good carbon reduction ideas.