Probably much like dads worldwide, my dad would yell at us kids to turn off the lights or TV once we left a room. Given how much energy waste is rampant in corporate America, it appears he would have a full-time job in corporate America with all the devices left on.

Many leaders react with a yawn when I suggest that a simple yet effective energy saving technique is to dial down or turn off equipment. But payback on these projects can be astounding, as companies as diverse as Adobe, Fairmont Hotels, Hewlett Packard, Con-way and many others have learned.

Avoid Exceeding Requirements

Adobe's senior director of facilities, Randy Knox III, relishes telling the story about the efficiency project that achieved an astounding 4,900 percent return on investment.

Adobe provides nearly one million square feet of covered parking for its offices and was running its garage fans continuously. An air quality expert determined that there was sufficient ventilation that the fans only needed to run 15 minutes each hour during the prime-time commuting hours and still exceed regulations.

Continuing the discussion of fans, biotech firm Gilead was able to save by reducing fan operating speeds in its labs. Previously, fans had operated at full speed, 24-by-7. The ventilation requirements are regulated by OSHA, but it is allowable to dial down when a lab is empty. More than 50 percent of the energy needed by the fans was saved with this simple -- and obvious, if only in hindsight -- change.

Mark Thiele, founder and president of Data Center Pulse, urges data centers to increase the temperature, since it is one of the easiest ways to save on energy costs.

When computers were first introduced, they were much more sensitive to heat, which led to the now-unnecessary chilly temperatures in data centers: Original compute facilities were often maintained at a frigid 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

But technology has since improved dramatically and computer equipment may now safely run at a balmy 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more. For each degree warmer, the data center saves 3 to 4 percent on its cooling costs. Above 80 degrees, returns start to diminish. Maintaining temps in the low 80's is ideal, since it also provides a cushion in case there are hot spots.

Use Equipment Optimally

Slowing down for those businesses managing their own fleets has yielded significant savings. Con-way Freight reduced its maximum speed from 65 to 62 mph to save nearly four percent of its fuel. "We found the 'sweet spot' to be 62 mph for our fleet," explained Randy Mullett, Con-way's vice president for government relations. "A slower speed would realize some incremental fuel savings, but 62 is where we get the best fuel mileage while still meeting our service commitments and moving with the flow of traffic."