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Ten ways to help your business reduce its carbon footprint

The bigger the business, the bigger the carbon footprint – and the harder you’ll have to work to do your part help reduce global carbon emissions. The good news (for everyone) is that an increasing number of businesses are committed to 100 per cent renewable energy! Here are some practical steps your business (small or large) can take to shrink its footprint:

  1. Proper insulating. Poorly insulated premises require large quantities of energy to heat.
  2. Recycle.
  3. Support businesses (through business deals, purchases etc.) committed to reducing their impact on the climate.
  4. Buy gas and electricity from retailers who sell renewable power – this will grow companies, who can then offer competitive rates.
  5. Drive less. Walking or riding a bike releases far fewer carbon emissions into the atmosphere than driving a car.
  6. Reduce your water usage – encourage employees to take shorter showers, install low flush toilets, be sure to turn off the taps properly.
  7. Air travel is usually the largest component of the carbon footprint of frequent flyers – find an alternative mode of transport (trains?) or not take as many flights.
  8. Replace old gas and oil boilers, which can be wasteful. By replacing your old boiler with a new one (even if the old one is working well), your fuel use could fall by a third or more.
  9. Avoid energy-sapping halogen lights and go with LEDs (light-emitting diodes) where possible.
  10. Consume less. Invest in fewer and better things for your business.

For more ideas on how to reduce your carbon footprint, read “How to reduce your carbon footprint” and “Easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint“.

For all your energy related questions, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

Top tips to helping your business reduce its carbon footprint

In a landmark report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – published in October 2018 – the world’s leading climate scientists warned that there are only 12 or so years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people – as reported by Theguardian.com.

It’s thus more imperative than ever that businesses do their utmost to improve their green credentials (whilst also saving money on energy overheads). Here some small but significant ideas:

Use Renewable Energy: Fossil fuels — coal, petroleum, and natural gas — are the main source of energy, producing the vast majority of fuel, electricity, and heat used by people across the globe. It’s these fossil fuels that are the primary contributors to the global warming epidemic. Renewable energy is one of the most important solutions to global warming. You might not be able to build an entire solar field (like Google) but you can ensure that your energy company has you enrolled in the ‘greenest’ programme possible.

Go Paperless – large-scale deforestation is also one of the major contributors to global warming, so why not go paperless (wherever possible)? We have the technology to run businesses on as little paper as possible; embrace this with e-receipts, digital job applications, e-signatures etc!

Recycle and USE Recycled Products – most businesses are on top of recycling, with plastic, cans and paper slotted into the appropriate bins…but what about buying post-consumer recycled products (boxes, cups, packaging, paper etc.) for business use?

Reduce Energy Use – use LED bulbs instead of light bulbs, upgrade appliances to ones that have an Energy Star rating, switch off systems at close-of-day and use a programmable thermostat to keep the office temperature steady – for example. The little things have a cumulative effect and can make a big difference.

It will take everyone doing their bit to combat global warming! Lead the way by reducing the environmental footprint of your business.

For all your energy related questions, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

Sources: “How to improve your green energy credentials” – Britishgas.co.uk; Renewable Energy Is Critical To Stopping Global Warming” – Cleantechnica.com; Energy and Global Warming – Biologicaldiversity.org

Top energy-saving resolutions for the New Year

The start of a new year is always a great time to rethink strategy and implement new business ideas. People are more receptive when the year changes, which is a huge opportunity for transitioning a company ethos.

OK, so you’ve got your pen and paper out and are ready to start your New Year’s resolution list – change the menu in the canteen, spend less money, order new stationary, have the walls re-painted, jack up your online presence, hire an admin assistant…sure, all great ideas. How about one more? Energy saving!? It’s a ‘two birds with one stone’ kind of resolution –saving your business money and making the world a healthier place. It’s a no-brainer, really.

You agree? Great. Here are some tips to get your office operating as efficiently as possible in the new year (thanks to the experts from Providerpower.com and Wegowise.com):

  • Get a professional business energy audit – the logical, first step to energy saving. A professional will come to your business and assess your place of work from top-to-bottom, pinpointing where energy is escaping and offering suggestions on which upgrades you should consider for the most benefit – things like energy efficient lighting, weather proofing or a programmable thermostat. Just an fyi: Around 25 per cent of a building’s energy usage can be chalked up to inefficient appliances and lighting.
  • Make one energy-efficiency investment a month. Even though energy-efficient upgrades pay for themselves over time, there is typically an upfront cost. That’s why you might want to consider spreading out your investments.
  • Start small – power strips are a good place to kick off your energy-saving resolution. They’re inexpensive and will pay for themselves in no time. ‘Phantom’ or ‘vampire’ energy usage (the process by which plugged-in electronics or appliances still use small amounts of electricity even though turned off) is easy to curb. All your peripheral, energy-sucking devices like televisions, computers, printers, lamps, toasters, coffee makers, and cell phone charges can be plugged into a power strip and controlled by one switch. The energy savings per day may be minimal, but over time it will add up!
  • Use less. This philosophy is so simple, yet so constructive. ‘Using less’ encompasses using less electricity by turning off the lights when you leave a room or turning appliances of at the plug when closing the office at the end of the day.
  • Champion energy savings among your employees. It’s vital to get the whole business on board. Make sure they know they are a crucial part of the success of this endeavour and show them how their changes – big and small – make a difference.
  • Benchmark your overall energy usage. Staring down 12 months of utility bills can be daunting, but peer-to-peer benchmarking is a key step toward seeing how your current energy usage stacks up, prioritising your retrofit projects, and ultimately making a dent in utility payments.
  • Set an energy-saving goal that will both challenge you, and serve as an attainable milestone to reach by year-end. Aim to reduce energy use by 5 per cent or cut your electricity use by 10 per cent. Whatever the goal; set it, and work towards it.

Reducing your business’s carbon footprint is a worthwhile, feel-good initiative! If you’d like further information, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

Sources: Providerpower.com – “Energy-Efficient Resolutions for the New Year and Wegowise.com – “Energy-Efficient New Year’s Resolutions”

How a sustainable water strategy will save your business money

The conservation of energy has been a hot topic for the last few years. The effects of global warming have forced the world to take note and take action; governments, businesses and home owners have been (correctly) burdened with the social responsibility to do what they can to reduce their carbon footprint.

Energy – gas and electricity – is an obvious expense on a balance sheet and so most businesses are naturally inclined to focus a great deal of effort on finding ways to minimise this expense. As it so happens, decisions made for economic reasons often turn out to be the sustainable route as well, a happy coincidence, but there is a cost that companies often overlook, and that is water.

Water is usually overshadowed by the price of energy but it bears hidden costs that it would benefit businesses to take note of, such as the carbon and monetary costs of supplying that water, heating it and treating it after use. In other words, water is intrinsically linked to energy use and carbon emissions – so why aren’t we trying harder to save it?

Recent estimates suggest that if we continue business as usual, global demand for water will exceed viable resources by 40 per cent by the year 2030. Policymakers are thus under pressure to tighten water regulations amidst growing concern about scarcity and pollution. As an outcome, businesses will be compelled to implement sustainable water strategies. This means recycling more water and looking at new ways in which to develop goods and services with a much smaller water footprint. And for smaller companies, awareness is a good starting point.

Martin Stuchtey, director of the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, says that businesses need to shift to a circular economy for water:

“We need a completely new mindset of not contaminating water in the first place. We need to treat it like a durable and keep it in closed loops; or like a consumable, but return it in a way so that it is cheap or beneficial to take into second or third use.”

Companies should start to look beyond their fences; to collaborate with others – experts in the field – and encourage respective suppliers, partners, customers and others to work with them in their effort to implement water-saving plans. Industry sectors also need to join forces to manage water more efficiently, Stutchey argues:

“There might be ways that a handshake between the agriculture and industries might provide the better solution. Industrial grey water, if it’s not too contaminated, could in fact be an interesting input into agriculture. We need to go across sectors and manage water in more effective and circular ways.”

The good news is that an effective water management plan can transform the economic prospects of a business – if ever there was an incentive!

For more information on water sustainability or any plumbing-related issues feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc

Sources: Theguardian.com – “A sustainable water strategy is good for business”; “Six thing business needs to know about water and sustainability” and Mckinsey.com – “Rethinking the water cycle”

Government axes support for Green Deal!

The Government has announced that it will offer no further financial support to the Green Deal Finance Company (GDFC), citing lack of interest and concerns over industry standards as reasons for the decision.

The Government’s withdrawal of funds will have no impact on existing Green Deal Finance Plans or existing Green Deal Home Improvement Fund applications and vouchers.

The ‘Green Deal’ rolled out in 2013 as an initiative designed to help business and home owners employ more green technologies in and on their properties. Applicants were granted loans that would be paid back through energy bills over a period of time. The scheme also offered cash-backs and incentives on things such as double-glazing, insulation and boilers.

For both home owners and businesses, the building would effectively be responsible for the costs of all the improvements and these costs would be repaid through the energy bill related to the property. Upon the sale of the property in question, the new owner would take over the energy bills pertaining to the previous owner’s Green Deal loan.

There were no upfront costs for the applicant to incur at the outset. The only cost would have been the assessment, which might be waived or enveloped by the provider depending on the deal struck between the provider and the business (or home owner) applying.

The golden rule of the Green Deal was that the expected financial savings must be equal to or greater than the costs attached to the energy bill. And yet the plug failed to engage.
According to the Heating & Hotwater Industry Council, (HHIC), the news came as no surprise;
“This policy failed to engage with both installers and consumers, and delivered little in terms of energy efficiency. Its demise therefore is expected and understandable.”
Interestingly, the Government has not come up with a replacement scheme to reduce the UK’s carbon footprint. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has, however, expressed interest in working with the building industry and consumer groups to agree a new “value-for-money approach.”

If you missed out on the Green Deal and are thanking your lucky stars but inadvertently lamenting the loss of the opportunity to eco-up your business and save money in the long term, perhaps this was just a learning curve and the best policy is yet to come. Here’s hoping.

Source: bbc.co.uk – “Green Deal funding to end, government announces” and Hvnplus.co.uk – “Government ends Green Deal Finance Company funding”.

If you’d like further information, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

Businesses prioritise energy security when choosing providers, according to new research

With the cold well underway and heaters assuredly on, there is one thing that is occupying the minds of business owners as tariffs tick over, and that’s energy security. According to new research by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), 73 per cent of 550 business leaders and 2,300 households rate security of supply as a crucial energy objective for the UK.

The majority of businesses (96 per cent) are concerned about keeping energy bills affordable and, interestingly, more than half of businesses (57 per cent) believe that the UK’s energy security is worse than it was five years ago. The resounding scepticism of UK business owners is emphasised by the fact that 53 per cent of respondents cite ‘energy company profits’ as the primary reason for price hikes. It’s thus no big surprise that a mere 38 per cent of businesses agree that energy efficiency is the best solution to ensuring that energy costs remain affordable (smaller bonuses, maybe?). Another solution hazarded by business leaders who participated in CBI’s research is; more competition in the market – if energy providers are vying for customers, they’ll have to offer the best deal in an effort to sustain their client base.

Perhaps a lesser known fact is that provider profits accounted for only 4.3 per cent of an average bill in 2012, which suggests that other than the solutions already highlighted by business owners themselves, it seems that industry players might benefit from an action prioritising greater transparency and honest conversation. Being real about energy objectives and how they relate to business is a good way to encourage a mutual support network between companies and energy providers.

And how do business owners feel about the UK’s aim to tackle climate change? In spite of the fact that change in policy and the practical implementation thereof might affect energy security, most businesses (70 per cent) support renewable energy initiatives and other such schemes that hope to minimise the country’s carbon footprint. While 60 per cent of business leaders believe that taking action now to cut carbon emissions will deliver long-term economic opportunity, one in three businesses disagree (32 per cent), suggesting more must be done to communicate the importance of, and opportunity presented by, the low-carbon transition.

The research does a great job of drawing attention to some very real concerns relating to energy efficiency – or lack thereof, according to various respondents. The good news is that there’s a lot to be done and everyone has a part to play.

For more information on how to make your business’s energy more efficient and more affordable, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

Source: cbi.org.uk – “Short-term thinking on energy risks damaging investment – CBI”