Energy efficiency saves billions
This month, the Telegraph is reporting that UK businesses can save billions in energy bills simply through basic energy efficiency measures.
In one example, the broadsheet notes that lighting accounted for £1.1bn of the identified £3.7bn of potential savings in a government report.
It consumes about 20% of the overall electricity used in commercial and industrial UK buildings and plays a more significant role in sectors such as retail and hospitality.
And, low-hanging fruit can also be found in carbon and energy management, which had the potential for £722m in savings across non-domestic sectors.
Among overall praise of energy efficiency’s winning bottom line, the paper also advises that while the incentives around energy efficiency tend to focus on the possible financial benefits, public-facing businesses in the retail and hospitality sector have other reasons to think about making improvements.
“A more efficient building is increasingly viewed as a better asset class,” says Pedro Guertler, a Senior Policy Adviser at the independent climate change think tank, E3G.
“[So] it’s easier to attract better quality tenants and it is more attractive to the tenants because they face lower energy costs.”
“At Energys, we strongly advise any firm seeking better understanding on how efficiency can help your business win to check out this feature,” comments Kevin Cox, Managing Director, Energys.
It lays out, in a simple way, the massive opportunities energy efficiency and energy management will deliver.
Massive C02 rises – how can they be mitigated
Worrying rises in the volume of C02 in the atmosphere have recently been reported.
Concentrations of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere surged to a record high in 2016, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), writes the BBC.
2016 saw average concentrations of CO2 hit 403.3 parts per million, up from 400ppm in 2015. “It is the largest increase we have ever seen in the 30 years we have had this network,” Dr Oksana Tarasova, Chief of WMO’s global atmosphere watch programme, told BBC News.
The news is hugely troubling. But EDIE is taking a positive tack, and examining which business actions will be under discussion as participating nations meet to discuss the next steps at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn.
EDIE notes that as part of the much praised Clean Growth Strategy, the largest UK business and industrial consumers will be asked to implement energy efficiency savings of 20% by 2030.
Large businesses collectively account for 25% of the UK’s total carbon emissions, so if achieved, these reductions will make a big impact on our national targets .
Building in the finest efficiency tech will be vital to this goal. But also, writes EDIE, behavioural change could deliver potential savings of around £860m for UK businesses, with large businesses accounting for £460m of this.
The sectors with the greatest scope for savings were identified as wholesale and retail, manufacturing, administrative and support services, and scientific and technical.
EDIE’s takeaway message is one we applaud here at Energys; for any business, cutting energy use and emissions is not only good for the environment, it makes a positive impact to your bottom line by delivering lower energy bills.
“We will watch with peeled eyes the developments at Bonn, as leaders meet to look at the next steps in terms of business actions on C02,” comments Kevin Cox.
“Energys will track the activities, and keep you alerted to the changes.”
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