With rising fuel prices, the commute to an office is becoming painfully expensive for some households. Even for families where money is not a significant issue, seeing such a large amount of money being spent on diesel and petrol just to get to work seems like a considerable waste. For this reason, offices at home are getting some fresh attention.
However, rising fuel prices are also affecting gas and electricity prices, so heating and lighting a home are equally expensive as running a car. So let’s focus on making our office as eco-friendly as possible, thus saving us money on lighting and heating.
Eco-Friendly Lighting
Working during the day is a pretty easy way to get some free light, simply because you can work with natural sunlight. Although we do suffer from variable quantities of sunlight in the UK, even the dull days provide plenty of light to work to. In the spring and summer, we get plenty of sunlight, easily covering the typical 9am to 5pm working hours. However, in the Autumn and Winter we don’t get quite enough light early in the mornings, or late in the afternoons. And what if you want to work in the evenings?
Thankfully, low-energy lighting has developed considerably in the last few years. Combining a large solar panel with a high capacity battery, as well a low-energy light bulbs gives you a perfect solution for lighting for when the sun goes down.
Almost a complete kit for creating mains-like lighting for your garden office or garage, including wiring, solar panel, switch and light fittings.
All you need to do is add the right battery. The kit is exempt from building regulations, so you can install it yourself!
This lighting kit is available to buy at Amazon.co.uk.
Beyond lighting, having lights in the ceiling and plenty of windows will make the most of the natural light that’s available. Then you only need to use your lighting when it gets dark.
Eco-Friendly Heating
Using the right materials will help trap heat inside your office. No doubt, you’ve heard lots about improving loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. Well, the same applies with having a garden office that has top-grade insulation.
There are hundreds of different types of insulation, so there’s plenty to pick from. You can go for the space-age foil-lined insulation, or you can go for natural and recycled materials such as sheep’s wool. Just remember, if you have a small garden office, then you want to keep the insulation relatively thin, otherwise you’ll have much less space inside.
Once the insulation is dealt with, you can look out for low energy heaters, but be aware, heaters do guzzle energy. By having a cosy office, you’ll reduce your heating requirements anyway. You can also consider using geothermal energy if you’re in a suitable location.
Eco-Friendly Cooling
Sometimes we get a heatwave in the UK, so you’ll want to cool down too! Well insulation is a great way to minimise the heating effect. Having blinds and curtains to limit how much the office heats up from the greenhouse effect is another trick too. After that, you might want to think about a solar-powered desktop fan. Air conditioning is very energy intensive, so I’d recommend having it as a last resort.
Ready-made Eco-Friendly Offices
Rather than creating your own eco-friendly office, buying a ready-made office is another serious consideration. If you’re a consultant or business in the green niche, you’ll want something that looks slick as well as being eco-friendly.
O-Pods – Designer Eco Garden Offices
Eco garden offices are very much a new concept in the UK, and there’s only one company creating pre-fabricated eco offices, called O Pods. O-Pods are dome-shaped circular garden rooms which are energy efficient, double-glazed, maintenance free and contain full electrics with lighting pre-installed. 99% of the time, O-Pods do not require any kind of planning permission either (due to being considered temporary buildings).
O-Pods are perfect for those individuals who are looking for a fantastic garden office, but without wanting the hassle of building their own office. These offices are usually constructed within 48 hours, compared to the months it might take you to build your own.
