Small changes that can add up to make a big difference
7 Office layout
Keeping furniture such as desks away from radiators and removing items from beneath them helps warm air to circulate and heat the room. Turn off or turn down any radiators not located in permanently used areas. Make sure you plan your office layout to make the best use of natural and artificial lighting and ensure that window ledges are not cluttered.
8 Clean fans, filters and air ducts
The Carbon Trust says cleaning of fans, filters and air ducts could improve energy efficiency by up to 60%. Make sure that filters are regularly checked and consider fitting pressure gauges to indicate when filter replacements are required.
9 Implement a ‘switch off’ policy
Computers can be set so that they switch off when not in use. Clare Taylor explains: “Most companies have computers set to go to a screensaver when not in use, but this does not save energy. If appropriate, ensure that the computers all switch off at the same time.”
10 Switch to a ‘green energy’ tariff
Utility companies offer green energy tariffs that can help to reduce your organisation’s carbon footprint, as part of the energy will come from a renewable source, or the tariff will support renewable energy generation. Most leading energy suppliers have one or more certified Green Electricity Supply Tariffs. For more information visit www.greenenergyscheme.org.
11 Get lean
Taylor advises businesses to “put a lean manufacturing hat on” and consider whether anything can be taken out of the production process. She says: “Printers should review their processes for makereadies and overs and ensure they have reviewed their allowance against what is actually being wasted. They should ask themselves ‘can the allowances be reduced?’ They should also look at paper sizes and how jobs are being ganged up on the sheet,” she adds. “They should try to minimise the waste area and take any action that helps to reduce makeready times.”
12 Get it right first time
Taylor says that printers should take measures to get more work right first time. She says: “Colour-managed workflows help to take waste out of the equation; printers should look at the amount of colour being put on the page – they should check the ink coverage and ensure they are not using more than is required.”
13 Filtration systems
Press ancillaries manufacturer Technotrans sells a range of products designed to boost press productivity and reduce waste; these include filtration systems, central cooling systems and temperature control units. The company’s Softflow dampening filtration system, which sells for around £650, aims to ensure optimum filtration by taking debris out of the dampening system, enabling the water to stay cleaner for longer and cutting down on water waste and chemical use.
