Oct. 7, 2008 - The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is asking employees to turn down thermostats and shut off lights and unused equipment in a bid to cut energy use 30% by 2015.

The yearlong campaign aims to encourage employees to take personal responsibility for conserving energy at work. The effort is part of USPS's new national energy management plan, which will identify goals for energy reduction for facility energy management, fleet management, fuel use, and energy consumption.

Postmaster General John Potter expects that the collective action of more than 685,000 employees nationwide will go a long way toward helping USPS achieve its energy-efficiency goal. "We need to take whatever steps we can to meet the needs of the present without compromising the future," he says. "Today is another step toward a culture of conservation here at the Postal Service."

USPS is performing energy audits in 500 of its largest facilities, which together represent 60% of the organization's total energy consumption. It is also piloting a new utility management system, analyzing cost data for electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil consumption at 600 sites.