One of the easiest ways to save energy is to turn off equipment when it’s not needed. Make sure that your building takes a long weekend by checking to see if your building management system is set for a holiday schedule on Monday, September 3rd for Labor Day, if that is applicable to your building. Most systems let you designate holidays for the entire year, saving staff time and ensuring holiday weekdays are in unoccupied mode. Remember to check your lighting system too, since it may have separate controls.

Energy Savings Tips for Long Weekends and Holidays:

• Set back thermostats for heating or air conditioning (unless you have a programmable thermostat already set to do this automatically).
• Turn off all lights except safety and security lights.
• Turn off all unused office equipment, including computers, monitors, printers, copiers, fax machine and scanners.
• On electric water heaters, check time-of-use controllers to be sure the water heater is set to turn off at closing time and on at opening time.
• If your water-heating system includes a circulation pump, turn it off.
• Looking to start a new energy savings project at your facility? Consider looking into local utility rebate and incentive programs to find ways to save money on your project. You can find local utility programs by searching your location at www.dsireusa.org. Make sure to contact your utility before you start your project to ensure optimal savings.

For more information on building scheduling and diagnosing common building system problems, visit the BetterBricks website.