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The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International is a 100-year-old global membership group. It is a primary source of information on office building development, leasing, building operating costs, energy consumption patterns, local and national building codes, legislation, occupancy statistics and technological developments.Don't underestimate the power -- or savings -- of the obvious. Sure you've heard it hundreds of times: Turn off computers, shut off lights. But if you walk through your office or building now, how many computers and computer monitors are on even though workers are at lunch or gone for the day? Is the restroom light always on?
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International has 10 tips for cutting energy usage in commercial buildings that cost little or nothing to implement. And even obvious tips can have a twist. For instance, if staffers still don't remember to shut down computer monitors, think about installing software that will do it for them. And rethink old habits, too. Just because cleaning crews have always come at night, is there a reason they can't do their work in daylight hours, when the lights and heat or air-conditioning are already on?
Savings from such steps alone will be satisfying and meaningful -- especially as energy prices continue to spike. But it's also a habit well worth cultivating in your business, on your properties and among personnel: Green consciousness is growing and will increasingly be reflected in local, state and federal laws, regulations, building codes and tax incentives. Commercial buildings will be a huge target, since they account for nearly a fifth of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.
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