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Makerspace Energy Conservation Measures
Purpose
The goal of nearly all makerspaces/hackerspaces involves providing a place for people to work and learn. The type of building can vary greatly: houses, basements, garages, strip malls, etc. Despite their unique features and locations, all spaces use energy in some form. Energy costs money! Unless you're independently wealthy or at least profitable, saving money is worthwhile. This is especially true for groups just getting started, but can apply to everyone.
Who is this for?
Anyone can do this! All it takes is some effort and guidance. It helps if you're already interested in building construction, home improvement, or DIY projects, but it's not absolutely necessary.
What should I do?
Assess
What are your goals? What is your primary focus?
Investigate
Plan
From your investigation, what did you find?
Pick the changes you want to implement
Determine what tools, parts, supplies, etc. you may need
Will you do this yourself, with other members, or do you need to hire a contractor?
Will this work cause any downtime for other members? Will tools be offline? Doors blocked? Noisy? Dusty?
Be sure to keep others in mind, schedule around events and meetings, and notify others early and often before work starts
Implement
Maintain
Perform regular maintenance on appliances and equipment
Review monthly utility bills and look for any unexpected changes in energy or water usage
Review any changes you've made, at least quarterly, to determine if it's satisfactory
Further Reading