Page 6 - ENERGYS GROUP PRESS COVERAGE PORTFOLIO

EIBI 09.2011
Lighting is just the first step
Reducing lighting costs can help compliance with the revised CRC. Richard Stirrup argues that there
LIGhTING
Richard Stirrup is chairman of specialist in low-carbon retrofit solutions, Energys Group
are still cost-effective strategies available
Almost a year on from the government’s dismaying changes to the Carbon Reduction
Commitment (CRC) legislation, anger and confusion remain rife among those affected. For many organisations, the new financial burden of the CRC feels like an additional blow in an already-tough economic climate. However, now that the shock has worn off, the worst reaction is to adopt a head-in- the-sand approach. In fact, making energy savings in line with the CRC’s recommendations not only reduces an organisation’s liability, it also provides a way to offset the additional cost through savings on fuel bills.
Implemented by the former Labour government, the CRC
was deemed too complicated
by the Coalition government
upon changeover. In the name
of “simplifying” the scheme, the ‘recycling payment’ aspect was scrapped. Instead, all of the revenue raised from the sale of carbon allowances will go to the Treasury. With carbon allowances set to be sold at a rate of £12 (per tonne of CO2 produced), organisations fear being crippled by a yearly bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Goodwill dwindling
It’s fair to say that goodwill towards the scheme has dwindled as a result of these changes, but with new, higher stakes, the CRC remains impossible to ignore. By delaying the first sale of carbon allowances until 2013, the government has given participants an extra year to get their affairs in order, making
it far from “too late” to begin investigating strategies for carbon reduction.
Many organisations underestimate how much energy they need to use in certain areas of their business. For example, energy used in lighting is often overlooked, with focus on heating and cooling as the big energy drains. But, in fact, lighting is a significant energy user, particularly if a large utility
is filled with fluorescent lighting.
22 ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY
The CRC is helping to boost the popularity of retrofit equipment
to higher ongoing fuel bills and a larger outlay on carbon allowances.
For Plymouth City Council, a
CRC participant, part of its carbon- reduction efforts fell on lighting, involving the retrofit installation of 3,631 energy-efficient lamps at its civic offices. Many organisations in older building stock often feel that their hands are tied by potential problems with disturbed asbestos
or planning concerns, making low- carbon measures seem too expensive or out of reach. Energy-efficient lighting is a case in point. Due to physical and technical differences between old-style f luorescent lamps and new T5 lamps, previous practice was that all the light fittings be ripped out and replaced, disrupting the fabric of the building.
However, the CRC is helping to boost the popularity of retrofit equipment that does not require drilling or damage to the fabric of the building. By using ‘Save It Easy’, a plug-in converter from Energys Group that allows energy-efficient T5 lamps to be slotted into the existing light fittings, Plymouth City Council did not need to disturb either the fabric of its ceilings or disrupt the day-to-day running of its offices. The Save It Easy installation will allow the council to save £17,585 each year on its electricity bills, with payback achieved in just four years. Importantly, the council will also cut 85 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, reducing its obligation to purchase carbon allowances.
With organisations demonstrating that even a simple energy-efficient lighting installation can cut energy bills by more than £17,000 per year, at today’s prices, it’s clear that undertaking even small- scale, retrofit low-carbon works can, quickly and easily, do much to offset the costs of the CRC. It’s far from
too late to consider adopting a good practice approach to the legislation. With fuel prices set to rise this winter, by as much as 19 per cent
in some cases, it pays to take a pro- active stance.
Approximately 19 per cent of global electricity generation is taken
for lighting – and, in schools and offices, that figure can be as high as 50 per cent – with the fluorescent lamp the biggest consumer. By simply replacing old-style lamps with energy-efficient T5 equivalents, organisations can cut their lighting energy use by up to 65 per cent.
Energy-efficient lamps – which, using innovative converters, can now be slotted into the existing light fittings – provide just one example of the retrofit low-carbon technologies that have f looded the market. Boiler controls are also growing in popularity: making
a boiler more ‘intelligent’ using
a retrofit device can enable it to function better while using 15 per cent less fuel. Eliminating sources of energy waste is also a vital strategy
– especially when you consider that plugging just one compressed air
“Undertaking even small-scale retro t low-carbon works can, quickly and easily, do much to o set the costs of the CRC”
leak of 3mm diameter can save £700 a year in energy bills.
Additional capital costs
Many organisations are wary of undertaking low-carbon works in order to save energy, since additional capital expenditure represents an extra burden during a time when budgets are already stretched. However, it’s a false economy to avoid installing energy-efficient equipment. What can seem like a saving in the beginning ends up costing more in the long term, due
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