Workroom

Selecting energy-efficient equipment (computers, monitors, printers, screens) can significantly reduce your electricity consumption. Even greater savings can be achieved by switching off all this equipment when it is not in use.

Before buying each device, you should not only pay attention to the parameters of the devices but also to the markings. One of these is the CE marking (French for Conformité Européenne – European Conformity). This is the manufacturer’s certification statement that the product meets the effective health, safety and environmental protection requirements of the European Union for the particular product group. The CE mark ensures the free movement of goods throughout the Community market, as there is no need to re-examine the goods. The CE mark is not a quality mark.

The CE mark consists of the initials CE in the following form:

Products with a counterfeit CE mark may be present on the market.

Meanwhile the ENERGY STAR mark identifies consumer products, for instance, computers, printers, copiers, televisions, thermostats, ceiling fans, and other appliances and equipment that have the highest energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency indicators of the product ensure its ergonomics and safety. This means that devices with the ENERGY STAR logo use on average 20–30% less energy than other products with equivalent functionality. The mark has been approved by the International Accreditation Service (IAS). Find more information here.

1. Computer

Computer – selection and use

Selection

When choosing a computer, you should first consider your needs (what you are going to use it for) and the space that you are able to allocate for it in your workroom or work area.
Of course, a laptop will be more compact and economical compared to a desktop computer.
A laptop generally consumes less energy than a desktop or stationary computer. In comparison with desktops, equivalent portable computers designed to work with standard software, for instance, Microsoft Office, use up to five times less energy!

Use

We recommend that you set your computer to Hibernate mode if you need to pause your work for a while in order to resume it a little later. Hibernate mode of a computer allows users to save their current work as it is and resume right where they left off when they return. You are recommended to set your computer to hibernate when it has been inactive for several minutes.
You are also recommended to check if your computer can be set to automatically turn off the screen or go into sleep mode after it has not been used for a certain period of time. This is useful if you need to stop your work suddenly and do not manage to turn the computer off or put it to sleep.
In sleep or standby mode, the computer continues to consume energy. In this power-saving mode, most of the computer's subsystems are turned off, however, this mode requires a small amount of power to maintain memory and sometimes requires more power to perform scheduled tasks. Therefore, if you plan not to use the computer for a longer period of time, for example two hours, we recommend turning it off completely (Shut down) instead of putting it to sleep (Sleep), because it still consumes electricity in sleep mode.
For laptops, we recommend that you disconnect the laptop from the charger immediately after charging, otherwise the consumption of electricity increases, as well as the laptop battery is damaged, which affects the lifetime of your electrical device.
To reduce the electricity consumption of computer equipment in standby mode, we also recommend using extension cords with a switch for connecting your computer, monitor, printer and other devices, and, after completing your work – to switch off the button on the extension cord.
A smart socket will help you disconnect your computer equipment from the electrical network. It enables you to switch off your electrical appliances remotely via an app on your smartphone.

2. Monitor

Monitor – selection, use and care

Selection

When choosing a new monitor, you should pay attention to the energy label, which applies to TVs, as well as electronic displays, including monitors.
When buying a new computer monitor, you should pay attention to the indicated power to prevent wasting electricity unnecessarily.
It is worth noting that the size of the monitor affects the amount of electricity consumed. While representatives of specific professions will not find small screens suitable for their work, a smaller screen is certainly sufficient for home use. We recommend you make a sensible choice, keeping in mind that this will guarantee lower electricity consumption.

Use

Place the monitor in a location where it is not blinded by bright light and remove objects that can cause glare. Avoid sources of bright light in the field of vision.
The brighter the screen, the more electricity it uses. Remember that the brightness of the screen must be adjusted to the level of ambient light: in a well-lit room, the screen brightness should be increased, and in a dark room, it should be decreased. The images below demonstrate the difference in power consumption depending on the size of the monitor when the monitor is set to lower and higher brightness modes.
When you finish your work, it’s a good idea to turn the monitor off completely by checking the indicator light that shows that the monitor is not completely turned off, since a monitor in stand-by mode continues to consume small amounts of electricity.

Care

As with the TV screen, the monitor should not be cleaned with chemical cleaners or wet sponges. Only monitor cleaners (wipes) and dry microfibre cloths can be used to clean a monitor.

3. Printer

Printer – selection and use

Selection

First of all, we advise you to consider why you need the printer, for instance, are you planning to use it for printing documents or photos? Does the device need to have a scanner and copier?
A black and white laser printer will easily provide fast and high-quality printing of black and white documents. Such a printer uses toner (powder placed in a cartridge), which is sufficient for printing a large number of documents (including on thin paper). However, such a printer is not suitable for printing colour images.
If you plan to print photos or colour images in good quality and in bulk, you should choose an inkjet printer. Such a printer uses liquid ink cartridges, and it will easily cope with printing black and white documents at home.
If you need a universal device that will copy, print and scan documents, consider multifunction devices – devices that combine a printer, scanner and copier. Like printers, these machines tend to be laser or inkjet. Buying this device will also be more cost-effective than buying printers, scanners and copiers separately; furthermore, it will take up less space.
Speed and print quality are very important indicators when choosing a multifunction device or printer. The print resolution (clarity and detail) indicated in dpi units of image resolution and its format determine the quality of the work. Resolution starting from 1200 x 2400 dpi will ensure high print quality for colour documents. It must be kept in mind that the higher the print quality, the lower the speed, so when choosing a printer, decide what you need more: to print quality colour images or to print large volumes of documents quickly.
One of the important specifications is PPM, which stands for "pages per minute". PPMs of black and white and those of coloured printers differ; therefore, 2 PPMs are usually specified according to the colour. The average PPM for black and white is 15 to 20 pages, and for colour, 10 to 15 pages per minute.
We also recommend that you pay attention to connectivity options. Wi-Fi and wireless connectivity are a modern standard, but models that offer USB connections (USB-A), SD card slots or readers are also available, thus allowing you to use the printer menu screen without a computer, which is particularly useful for instantly printing photos, for example.
For the sake of the environment, it is worth considering a printing device that offers duplex printing. This will also mean purchasing less paper, which saves additional resources.

Use

We recommend printing on both sides of the page wherever possible to reduce both electricity and natural resource consumption. Printing a single page on both sides reduces CO₂ by approximately 5 g.
Some models also offer the possibility to print two pages of a document on one sheet. For instance, printing a draft of a document can save energy, as well as raw materials (ink, paper).

4. Lighting

Workplace lighting is a very important factor that, if chosen improperly, can be tiring for eyesight, and if chosen correctly and thoughtfully, can improve work capacity. Installing LED bulbs is recommended for ensuring high-quality lighting directly in the work area and reducing electricity costs.
White lighting (3200–4000 K) is more suitable for productivity and performance in work areas. The colour of light can psychologically affect a person’s productivity – whiter light provides energy and promotes concentration.
We recommend establishing the workplace or study area in a bright, sunny place.
To get the most out of the sunlight, place the table near the window, ideally making sure that the window is equipped with blinds or curtains, thus enabling you to control the amount of sunlight in the room.
It will not be enough to illuminate the workplace or study area with the general lighting of the room; therefore, we recommend that you also choose a table lamp that illuminates the work surface more. A LED bulb of about 800 lumens and a light colour temperature of 3200–4000 K, which corresponds to white light is suitable for a table lamp.
After finding a suitable light bulb for a workplace, the table lamp and its position must be taken care of. If you are planning to buy a new luminaire, we recommend a height-adjustable lamp.
It is important that the table lamp illuminates the entire table surface. Then there will be no discomfort to the eyes if it is necessary to switch from an unlit place to an illuminated one. If you are right-handed, place the table lamp on the left so that there is no shadow as you write. Meanwhile, left-handers should place the lamp on the right. The height of the table lamp should also be adjusted so that the light doesn’t shine directly in your eyes but on the work surface.
It is recommended to turn on both the room lighting and the table lamp when working or studying to protect eyesight. Meanwhile, when you stop working at your desk, it is recommended to turn off the table lamp first and only then the ceiling lamp, so as not to dazzle your eyes.

5. Microclimate and indoor environment

Mikroklimats un iekštelpu vide.jpg

In our hectic lives, people are often unaware of the actual reasons that make them feel unwell, for instance – why they suddenly feel tired during the day, why their eyes become sensitive, or why they get a headache. These symptoms can be largely caused by an unfavourable microclimate.
At rest, a person inhales and exhales on average 17 times per minute, consuming a volume of air equivalent to four two-litre bottles of water. If the air contains high levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂), a person may feel uncomfortable, tired, unwell, be at risk of fatigue and headaches, and more likely to have long-term health problems.
CO₂ concentration is measured in ppm (parts per million). 1 ppm – one particle per a million other particles. A CO₂ concentration of up to 1000 ppm is considered to be the maximum permissible limit in a room without having a significant effect on human health. If the CO₂ concentration exceeds 2000 ppm, the breathing rate increases and a person becomes drowsy; at 5000 ppm, serious health problems start – heart rate increases, headaches and dizziness appear.
Therefore, to avoid a reduction in productivity and to take care of your health, we encourage you to maintain healthy indoor air, as well as temperature and humidity levels.
The recommended temperature in the workroom is 20–22 °C.
The simplest way to improve indoor air quality at home is to ensure efficient ventilation. To avoid losing your ability to work and concentrate, you should open the windows fully for a few minutes at least once an hour. If possible, we recommend opening windows on the opposite sides of the home to create a draught, which will allow the rooms to air out in the shortest possible time without causing an extensive loss of heat.
To make sure that you always have a good environment and air quality around you, you can buy, for instance, Aranet4 Home – an innovative air quality sensor made in Latvia that provides continuous monitoring of CO₂, temperature, humidity and pressure levels in your room. It is easy and convenient to install and use, as the sensor is wireless; it also connects to your mobile phone.

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