Reduce your energy use

Gas and Oil, also known as fossil-fuels, are non-reusable resources and their use mainly through transportation, increase the greenhouse effect. It is therefore important for us to either use less fossil fuel or switch to energy from sustainable sources such as solar, wind, water or wave energy. 

Lighting is an easy way to reduce your reliance on fossils fuels. There are a number of options available to your business:

• Use low energy light bulbs instead of ordinary filament bulbs. They cost more at the start but use 70% less electricity than ordinary light bulbs and last 10 times longer.
• Use motion sensors for lights at night so that they only switch on when they are needed.
• Avoid using lights inside during the day. Try to maximise your use of daylight by opening a window and pulling back the curtains.
• Turn lights off when you leave a room.
• Install dimming controls to use less power when lights are on.
  

Instead of using air con, try natural ventilation using shutters or louvered windows. Alternately, use a fan. You can also plant trees around your premises as these will provide shade and moisture to keep your rooms cool.

A fan circulates the air and costs less to run than an air con unit (PHOTO Sustainability for Seychelles)

Switch off computers, monitors, printers, wireless routers, scanners, TV and radios when not in use. The standby mode still uses power.