Monday, August 15, 2011

Saving Energy - Watt Would You Do?

The Postal Service is a big consumer of power. We have more than 32,000 facilities, all requiring heating and lighting. This adds up to some big bills.

Do you have any ideas on how to save energy?  What have you done in your facility? Comment here.




For more information read the FY 2110 Annual Sustainability Report. Also read about the Go Green Forever stamps and other efforts at usps.com/green and the green newsroom.



18 comments:

Anonymous said...

-I always turn off the bathroom light if I'm the last one leaving the room
-I have a personal fan at my case and I always turn it off when I go to the street in the morning.

Anonymous said...

Our facility uses a newer lighting system that utilizes lights as needed and watches the thermostat. I would personally like to see more done. I take the aluminum cans that I use home because the ones that are put in the recycle bins here are thrown away! They recycle plastic trays and cardboard, but what about all of the plastic water and soda bottles? No. Not paper either. We have a long ways to get with the program. There is a lot of waste in our giant facility.

Anonymous said...

Get rid of 220,000 employees and shut down half of our processing plants like our PMG is planning to do. That will not only save a ton of energy but will also help save our company!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Saving energy? What about the tiny POs that HAVE NO BATHROOMS and STILL use OUTHOUSES! Has ANYONE every WONDERED....WHY, with all the HEALTH CONCERNS THAT COULD ARISE....THESE POs are STILL OPEN?
Things are getting ridiculous! Saving energy should be one of the LEAST of our concerns.
HOW ABOUT SAVING JOBS...FAMILIES...and our NATIONS?
YA THINK?

Anonymous said...

6:08 post should have ended with .... NATION (singular)....sorry.

Anonymous said...

No one is owed a job so if your job can be saved, save it. This country is in trouble and it isn't socialism here buddy, so if some have to lose their jobs to keep the company viable for the rest of us, so be it. It is called survival of the fittest. I saved my job 25 years ago when I paid for and attained 3 college degrees.

Anonymous said...

One way to not save energy is to DUO an office into one 20 or miles away. All the extra miles added to routesmis not very "green".

Anonymous said...

With all the "Hot Air" coming out of Washington - we should be saving alot on our heating costs!!!

Anonymous said...

Get rid of LLV's!! We run the nations largest fleet and these things get 8 -10 miles to the gallon! Go hybrid, go electric, get rid of LLV's.

Anonymous said...

I think that the Postal Services idea of saving energy/money is kind of a joke. For evey dollar saved in one area, it is simply spent in another.

When I first started as PM I was instructed to turn my thermostat down to 50 at night during the winter time. The next day I had to come in and work in 50 degree room temp until the furnus got it back up to 68. Working with my coat on!! :( I installed a timer on my thermostat.....to automatically turn down the temps and to turn them on before I arrived so I would have a warm office by the time I arrived. The plants were not instructed to turn there thermostats down...the reasoning behind that is that it would take the heating systems hours to catch the room back up and not much of a savings. Plus the system that heated the work room floor was the same one that heated the front office...where 3-4 people worked during tour 2. So much for saving money.

Anonymous said...

Why are we now just thinking of ways to save energy? Isn't that something we should have all been doing anyway from our smallest Post Offices to our largest Mail Processing Centers? I've attended meetings at our Mail Processing Center meeting room and I practically froze to death in the summer. Think of the money they could have saved on air conditioning.

Anonymous said...

Turn down the lights after the carriers leave for the street. We do not need that bright of a light after they are done casing mail.

Anonymous said...

Not too sure what the post re: outhouses was getting at. Just because some of the smaller PO's use an outhouse you want to close them? My PO is 60 miles from the nearest town and the people out here are the ones who really utilize the USPS and actually need our services....so because we're small and very rural we should lose our PO? Sorry, I don't get the reasoning. In addition, my rent is $165/month and includes electricity so that's pretty inexpensive. I was once told by Consumer Affairs that people who choose to live in rural areas can't expect the same level of service that folks in cities receive. Excuse me, but I pride myself on giving the same level of service the big cities do and, in spite of that, I'm on the "List" to be closed.

Oh I See said...

I don't buy the mentality that potential savings should be ignored because they're too small and won't make enough of a difference. In an organization this large, it all adds up, both savings AND unnecessary expenditures. So I also turn off the lights in the back once the carriers leave, try to be frugal with heat/air conditioning, and turn off my ten-key when not in use. Tiny savings, yes, but savings all the same. There is too much blame-spreading and name-calling, and too little introspection and creativity about what each one of us can do to improve the current situation.

Anonymous said...

I TOTALLY agree with 10:38 am! I treat the office I am fortunate enough to work in like I do my home. It is totally irresponsible not to. And should really have nothing to do with the fact it is the Postal Service! We should be doing the right things no matter where we are.

Anonymous said...

We have always been told to save energy since the day I started working for USPS 12 years ago! Why are people just now doing it? I work in small offices and that's where we are needed the most, rural America! I don't see why they are closing the small rural offices, money lost!!! Go to 5 day delivery, but save the USPS!!!!

Anonymous said...

Remove everyother light bulb in Breakrooms and Hallways.

Anonymous said...

Install sensors in conference rooms, bathrooms, offices, etc. Light only when occupied. Did you know "instant-on" equipment uses energy even when not in use?