EcoMonday: Lights, conservation, action!

We had a bright idea back when we first started. Let's dispense with the standard lightbulbs.

We did, too. We use energy-efficient CFL, or compact fluorescent lights at our Hub locations.

We do it for a couple of reasons.

• CFLs use 30-60 percent of energy when compared to standard incandescent lights
• The smaller amount of energy used means less heat output
• The longer lifetime of these bulbs (8 to 15 times that of incandescent bulbs) means we'll be using fewer lightbulbs
• Cost savings over the lifetime of a CFL bulb as compared to incandescent bulbs is significant. (The EPA estimates that an Energy Star bulb will pay for itself within about six months.)

So yeah, for all these reasons, we made the switch. But then we realized we could take it a step further. So we began to look at light in a more holistic fashion. Specifically, we built our facilities to make the best use possible of natural lighting. And then we took into account the way that natural light works: Too much of it during the summer, and conference and meeting rooms get hot, and your employees get sweaty--not good for productivity. Too little of it, and people get gloomy.
So in each of our meeting rooms, we have translucent shades that we lower or raise, to keep the temperature moderated and our clients and staff happy.
We also make sure to keep all of our light fixtures and lamps clean, so that each lamp and light works to its best.
Finally, each room has individually controlled lights. When we know a room is going to be out of use for more than 15 minutes, we turn off the lights. It's written into our policy to do so.
And all of our lights are dimmable, so that we can adjust according to how much natural light is needed--or is already coming into the room.
Every single one of these steps has contributed to a healthy office. What's the one thing you'd change about your office to make it a better place to work?