European Union Forums

[Folca]

What is a new technology that can help businesses save money by reducing energy use? Specificaly in a company like Fidelity, AutoDesk, Margarittas Resturaunt or Cool Air Clean Planet?

[Sasha45]

It is called raising taxes. Soon, the work force will decline and the offices will not require so much energy to run the utilities.

[WandaBAllen]

There are now so many devices available for reducing energy use. Among others:
1) use CFLs or compact floursescent lamps instead of the bar or circular flourescent lamps
2) install solar water heaters on the roofdeck and put in piping into your toilets and shower rooms
3) install solar cells for electricity use, either partially or complete replacement together with battery banks. You will need a separate, well-ventilated room for the batteries.
4) remove the curtains and put in outside the windows wooden or hard plastic jalousies to shield the rooms from direct sunlight but admit enough sunlight to switch off the lights.
5) sectionalize the electric wiring for the lighting such that you can switch off a portion of the lamps for the areas without people working.
6) instead of centralized airconditioning, put in window-type or stand-alone air con units. Again for those areas without people working, you can switch off the individual air con units.
7) where possible, use ceiling electric fans instead of aircon units. Or, use the combination of the two - - - fans at the start of the office hours. Later, when there are enough people in the room, switch on the aircons and switch off the fans.

[Inzilbêth]

Hi Jenny,

There are actually quite a few companies that have become more environmentally conscious. They have also saved a lot of money on energy since they have begun to us alternative energy sources like wind and solar power.

The shoe company, Timberland is a really good example.

The solar panel at Timberland's Ontario distribution center was designed, engineered and installed by Northern Power; Sharp is the manufacturer of this 400 kW solar power system. This is Timberland's second distribution center to be powered in part by clean energy sources.

Its European Distribution Center in Enschede, Holland is 100% powered by wind, waste steam and small-scale hydro-power sources. Additionally, wind power generates energy and solar power heats 100% of the water at Timberland's Dominican Republic manufacturing facility.

Timberland's solar power initiative and its Earth Day volunteer activities are just two examples of the company's environmental stewardship. Timberland recently announced an environmentally-friendly packaging and labeling initiative that will debut later this year.

Hope this helps.