Thursday, February 21, 2008

Traditional workplaces encourage workers to waste energy

Well, perhaps not 'encourage', but that's the gist of the research outlined in the Green Building Press. Apparently more than a third (36%) of UK workers are more likely to waste energy in the workplace than at home with male workers worse than their female colleagues. One in five workers say that they are not taking any steps at all to be more environmentally responsible in the workplace. GBP say:
"By looking at simple energy saving techniques that can be used both at home and work, the survey by Opus Energy found that there was significant inconsistency in people’s behaviour. For example, whilst 74% of workers unplug their phone charger at home after use, just 30% do this in the workplace. Over two thirds of workers (69%) are also more likely to overfill the kettle when making a cup of tea for colleagues, despite over 80% taking being cautious not to when at home."
Louise Boland, Director for Opus Energy who is in charge of renewable energy sourcing commented on the findings:“It could be the case that employees feel less pressure to be green at work because they are not directly accountable for the energy bills each month. Companies that wish to reduce their carbon emissions and cut costs should encourage their workforce to ensure they take basic steps towards saving energy. Switching off PCs overnight and using double sided photocopies and printouts are just a few of the ways UK businesses can be more energy efficient, as well make financial savings.”

Of course a garden office is the real solution to these problems.

No comments:

Post a Comment