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UK businesses could save £1.4 billion and more than 11 millions tonnes of CO2 in 2008 through implementing simple low or no cost energy efficiency measures included in the Carbon Trust’s New Year business action plan.
With winter energy bills and consumers increasingly demanding that businesses show how they are reducing their carbon emissions, the Carbon Trust is urging organisations to add carbon saving to their list of New Year’s resolutions. Its list of energy efficiency measures are quick and easy to put in place and can result in both cost and carbon benefits for businesses.
Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust said:
“Reducing your carbon footprint through improved energy efficiency should be top of the New Year’s resolution list for any business in 2008. Our six steps show that putting energy efficiency and carbon saving into action couldn’t be easier and switching off lights, turning down the heating and turning off equipment when not in use can save businesses an average of more than 10 per cent on their energy bills.”
To start making savings today, the Carbon Trust recommends every business should:
- Measure your company’s carbon footprint – the essential first step to help your organisation benchmark progress. Visit www.carbontrust.co.uk/footprintcalculator to view the Carbon Trust’s carbon footprint calculator.
- Replace inefficient lights - changing tungsten light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps will save 75% of energy used for lighting
- Switch off PCs – Switching off just one PC out of hours, instead of leaving it on 24 hours a day, will save £35 a year.
- Switch off all non essential equipment - A typical office for one night will save enough energy to run a small car for 100 miles.
- Reduce heating – lowering the temperature by just one degree would reduce the heating bill for a typical office by up to 8% a year and save enough energy to print over 40million sheets of A4 paper.
- Fit timers – Seven-day timers fitted to water coolers, vending machines and gaming machines can reduce energy consumption by up to 70%.
To find out how your business can save energy, CO2 and money in 2008 contact the Carbon Trust advice line on 0800 085 2005 or visit www.carbontrust.co.uk/energy.
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* All statistics sourced from Carbon Trust and AEA analysis 2007.
For further information please contact the Carbon Trust Press Office on 020 7544 3100 or carbontrust@fishburn-hedges.co.uk.
The Carbon Trust
• The Carbon Trust is a private company set up by government in response to the threat of climate change, to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by developing commercial low carbon technologies and helping organisations reduce their carbon emissions. The Carbon Trust works with UK business and the public sector through its work in five complementary areas: insights, solutions, innovations, enterprises and investments. Together these help to explain, deliver, develop, create and finance low carbon enterprise.
• The Carbon Trust is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and Invest Northern Ireland.
• For more information on the Carbon Trust visit www.carbontrust.co.uk or call the Carbon Trust Advice Line on 0800 085 2005.
Overview of methodology to calculate the energy costs and carbon emissions
• The aim of the analysis was to estimate the savings that UK public, commercial and industrial buildings could make in 2008 by looking at the cost and carbon savings that could be achieved if all UK businesses implemented low and no cost energy efficiency measures.
• Figures are based on most recently available data and relate to all building related energy costs including lighting, storage heating, direct electric heating, top up heating, direct electric DHW, storage DHW, cold appliances, wet appliances, catering, computing, electronics, cooling and lifts.
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