SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

Roofing Projects for new government buildings and for Repairing existing government buildings is expensive, but it would Save a lot of money over time if we added Solar Panels at the same time as roof work is being contracted. The installation costs would be reduced greatly and the electrical savings would more than make up for the smaller construction cost over time and would lower our dependence on energy. It would... more »

What savings is it to turn off those lights of the computer monitors, coffee machines, phone chargers, heaters, fans, etc. stay plugged in. At home I have instituted "Green Switch" that turns off everything that I don't need on when I'm gone. At work it could be as easy as plugging non essential things into a power strip and linking that to a wall switch. As you leave you can flip it off and voilà, you have instant energy... more »

Shut off all power to the inmate housing units during "tent days". This is a time period when the temperature is reasonable to sleep outside (e.g. between 60 and 80 degrees Farenheit). This would save immensely (e.g. electrical, heating and cooling costs).

Personal Printers are, quite possibly, the single biggest waste of government resources.

It costs $9.44 annually to power one small desktop printer used at a minimal rates. *

In my office alone I count over 100 personal printers, and this is in addition to the two dozen or so massive laser printers (which, themselves cost around $100 apiece annually)

By eliminating all of the personal printers in just this office... more »

"Pavegen" manufactures energy generating sidewalks. I.e. Pedestrians generate electricity (approx 2.1 watts per hour per panel) just by walking.

These could be use to generate electricity from foot traffic at security check points, bathrooms, security entryways, tracks or even roadways etc --- anywhere where there is heavy foot traffic.

This not only helps with generating electricity but also helps to move the government... more »

Fluorescent lights are relatively economical but what they save per bulb is lost by volume and duration.

The electricity used to power 1 Bulb costs approximately 15$ per year**

In one small part of my office (that houses approximately thirty employees), I count 36 light fixtures. That’s 72 lights --- or an electrical cost of $1,152 annually.

That’s $38.40 per employee annually, JUST for the electricity that powers... more »

Many of the Section 811 (capital advance) housing units developed for the physically and mentally disabled are typically one-story construction that can take full advantage of using solar light tubes (aka Solatube, Velux Sun Tunnels, etc.) for ancillary lighting of hallways, closets, laundry areas, bathrooms, kitchens, etc).

Unlike skylights that can often times be problematic, "light tubes" have minimal roof and ceiling... more »

Turn off all electrical devices at the work stations (office) at the end of your duty schedule. Computers, printers, and lights. Unplug all chargers from outlets, radios, personal heaters, fans, and any other electrical items not government issued used. Even when these items are turned off they still use electricity.

Install small solar panels on all outside parking lot lights, during the day they will charge. You could then use LED lights which work great in directional lighting and use nearly all of the free generated power to light the parking lot lights. This would cut down on electricity

There is currently a lot of "green" rhetoric coming from the government these days, and I think it should put its money where its mouth is. My plan would have the current funds being used for subsidies and tax breaks in the energy markets should be diverted towards the purchase of green technologies (ie. smart grid, solar panels, wind turbines, etc.) at federal complexes. A purchase of this size would drive down the... more »

Many Federa Employees charge their personal electronic devices while at work. They should pay for a monthly or annual "pass" to allow them to charge their device at work.

Current practices are a theft of service and is costing the Federal Government many hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Simple math would show how much a cell phone costs to charge, multiplied by the number of employees who likely do this, multiplied... more »

At the end of the day ask ( or have coaches monitor )employees to turn off their computers intstead of just logging off. It will save federal installations money on electricity.

Simple mechanical 7-day timers can be installed on each printer/copier to turn the machines off at 7 pm, on at 7am, and off on the weekends. These devices are available for about $5 (or less) each retail, and are simple to program and install. Even though printer/copiers technically have "sleep" modes, they still use power in those modes, and the mode has to be properly set -- I have found the machines still at full... more »