Updated September 2018
Tips for Saving Energy at Work, School, and Home
Whether you are a student, faculty, or staff member, you can choose to play a valuable role in saving energy in offices, labs, residence halls, and other campus areas.
Making additional, simple decisions about energy use will improve our environmental footprint and save the campus money ─ returning those funds to teaching and research.
Tips for Labs
Teaching and research laboratories at UC Berkeley are key to our mission. Labs consume more energy, water, and additional resources than other campus buildings, in part due to energy-intensive equipment and space ventilation. In fact, labs are estimated to use over 40% of the total campus electricity demand. Of this, “plug-ins” (like freezers, autoclaves, incubators, etc.) can require as much as 50% of the building energy use.
However, there are multiple strategies and best practices that reduce resource use while maintaining mission and research excellence.
Download the Lab Tip Booklet for ideas about how to save energy in labs considering cold storage, fume hoods, lighting, power, and purchasing.
Tips for Offices
Over 80% of campus greenhouse gas emissions are generated in buildings from the energy required to power lights, computers, ventilation, and other equipment. Offices and classrooms comprise at least 25% of our campus buildings.
Download the Office Tip Booklet for suggestions on how to conserve via purchasing choices, utilizing stand-by power, considering thermal comfort, lighting, and computer habits.
Tips for Residence Halls
Ready to start saving energy in your residence hall?
Download the Residence Hall Tip Booklet to learn more sustainable practices regarding purchasing choices, power usage, and doing your laundry.
Tips for Home
Ready to start saving energy and carbon in your life?
Find out your own energy and carbon footprint, how it compares to others, and actionable ways to reduce it with this Berkeley developed carbon calculator.
1. Turn off what you are not using
- Monitors and lights when you’re away for more than 15 minutes
- Overhead lights when not needed, including in common areas
- Individual printers and other equipment at night and on weekends
2. Buy energy efficient products
- Make sure your new computer, appliance, and electronics purchases are ENERGY STAR
- Choose LED light bulbs
3. Reduce the energy used by your computer
- Enable the energy-saving features like sleep mode
- Avoid screensavers, they cause newer monitors to use more energy
- Reduce the brightness and bump up the contrast of your monitor