As is well known because of safety concerns (COVID) and growing energy costs, office functions and architecture need to be re-examined to benefit the company. Is the space that a company leases being used by staff optimally and for the lowest cost? How many people can effectively and comfortably use a space is a question of growing concern.

Ideally, you may want to jam as many people and equipment in given rooms. Besides the Fire Department likely objecting to this, overfilling space could affect productive utilization, too, as well as heighten safety concerns. Even with low COVID infection rates lately, many workers are concerned with viral safety and want to have space.

Therefore, in places where many people may congregate (auditoriums, conference rooms, training or break rooms), consider removing or roping off some seats to lower any potential anxiety of people concerned with health and other issues.

Having staff utilize the existing workspace must be balanced by the new reality of virtual and hybrid working situations. Thus, in most cases, companies will find themselves with too much underutilized space. Thus, a company should develop data around headcount and equipment needs. How many people need to work in the office how much space may each need. This is not so simple, as different functions require more space (including, storage space) than others. Now space planning becomes easier. Software exists to translate headcounts, needs, and trends into space utilization options. The importance of quality data cannot be understated. One may walk by and think a certain conference room is “always” used, when, in reality, meetings may tend to occur only at certain times of the day (one example: afternoons, when people surely reach the office). Make sure the utilization data collected is correct and thorough.

If one’s headcount indicates an excess of leased space and especially if workers prefer to work from home, the challenge is to make the office an attractive destination. What can make an office more attractive to get staff to come in more often? Two things: the colleagues or teams that the worker must interact with and that in-person meetings are more productive and more fun than Zoom. And the office being healthy and fun where staff will want to spend time.

See what you can do to rearrange space to encourage people to get up from their desks (to printers, coffee, etc.), and have a chance to interact with colleagues, even to say hello. Consider games; I worked in an office once that reserved space for jigsaw puzzles. It was great and relaxing after a stressful period staring at a screen to get up and put a couple of puzzle pieces in place. I believe that improved morale and focus. Think of how collaborative space and break rooms can foster more cooperation and ingenuity (something that can’t be done online). Think of how people who refer to lots of materials and drawings can spread them out effectively to use space. Perhaps, people will look forward to utilizing the space that you are leasing.

And don’t forget to optimize your energy usage and make sure all areas are well-ventilated, to improve worker efficiency and the health and well-being of your staff.

CCES has the technical experts to help your firm optimize energy usage for your building’s specific needs and situation. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

This is the second in a series to help all of us – in our homes and our work facilities – save energy costs. Average US energy costs in August rose 16% compared to August of 2021. Wow! Don’t just “shrug your shoulders”, curse a little, and then pay your bill. There are ways to bring down your energy costs quickly. And the beauty of reducing energy usage is that your single action will continue to reduce your energy costs for years in the future without having to do anything else. Contrast that to sales. Say you succeed in increasing sales. Well, you have to do it again year after year.

Oh yes. These measures will cost you money upfront. Yes, I get it. But smart choices will give you quite a return on the investment – certainly better than anything Wall St. can offer you, without the risk! This is the second in a series of articles of reliable energy saving projects for your buildings and home that represent good energy cost savings and can be relatively affordable.

Your Equipment. Your buildings are full of “stuff”. Equipment that makes your business work or provides comfort for you also uses energy. Think of the equipment you use and don’t think about much: your laptops, printers, TVs, kitchen equipment, data servers, etc. When you bought the equipment, perhaps you looked for the cheapest model or the most reliable one or just one from a brand you trust. That’s fine. But there is another factor involved in purchasing such equipment: energy usage. Because a cheap refrigerator that uses a lot of electricity is not really cheap! Remember, refrigerators use electricity to keep your food or other items cool or frozen not just when you open the doors a few times a day, but it uses electricity 24/7. A unit that uses a lot of electricity continually for 15 years is no bargain even if you bought it for cheap originally.

Amazingly, there has been a growing concern and a revolution in producing equipment that functions well while using less energy. A government program called Energy Star analyzes such equipment. Equipment that generally uses 20% or greater. less energy than the average brand can earn the Energy Star label. Such equipment has features designed into it to save electricity. You don’t have to do anything. Just buy and install. Just one example: laptops with sleep modes. Yes, Energy Star equipment is usually a little more expensive than the average brand; you are paying for the energy-saving feature. But the savings in your energy bills (especially now with energy costs so high) will quickly make up for the slight increase in upfront payments.

So a simple tip: when buying new or replacement equipment, only buy that which has the Energy Star label. Make it a Purchasing policy. No work for you to do. Just buy it and install. The features will save you the energy. No, don’t replace perfectly good equipment with Energy Star-labelled products; that makes no sense. But in the long-term, when buying new equipment, only buying Energy Star products will gradually save you significant energy – again – without doing any work or anything.

CCES has the experts to help you assess your equipment, including HVACs, windows and lights and provide diverse options to improve their effectiveness and help you save significant energy costs and put your business in a more competitive situation. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.