As COVID-19 rapidly shuts down the city, many of us — including Grid staff — are abandoning “the office” and planning to work from home. Here are a few tips to consider about the space you are leaving behind for who-knows-how-long that will help avoid wastefulness.
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Check your hot water heater. Hot water heaters are energy gluttons. If your office has a standard hot water heater, set it to “vacation mode” or turn it way down. No need to be heating water no one is there to use.
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The thermostat: There are no days in the next two weeks forecast to be under 32 degrees, and there probably won’t be any freezing days after that. Turn off all heating and cooling before leaving.
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Unplug the water cooler. This gets it’s own entry on the list because they too are energy gluttons, especially if they heat water. If you have a refrigerator, consider turning the temperature up higher. Unplugging it might make it susceptible to mold.
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Unplug office electronics. Computers, copy machines, printers, just about anything that gets plugged in might continue to sip on energy even while dormant. Added bonus: no need to worry about ungrounded devices getting short circuited if there is a power surge.
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Don’t forget your plants. If you have office plants and no one will be stopping in to give them a drink, remember to bring your flora and fauna companions home with you. They may very well help to brighten your time spent inside!
