 | Introduction |
All organisations need good management for long-term success and efficient operation, and energy management is no different. However, the management of energy is often neglected, even though there is considerable potential to save energy and reduce costs.
Rising energy prices, climate change legislation and the need to be environmentally responsible all require effective energy management. Saving energy makes business sense, and having a structured, co-ordinated and integrated approach to managing energy will maximise these benefits. Without this, cost-effective opportunities can be easily overlooked.
Successful energy management
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Senior management commitment
Without the support of senior managers, energy management will falter and be marginalised. Senior managers need to be convinced of the business case for investing funds and staff time in managing energy.
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An energy policy
An energy policy is a written statement of senior management’s commitment to managing energy and its environmental impacts. For large organisations an energy policy should be no more than two pages long; a few paragraphs may be sufficient for smaller organisations.
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An energy strategy
An energy strategy is a working document setting out how energy will be managed in an organisation. It should contain an action plan of tasks, which will initially involve understanding the organisation’s current position and establishing the management framework. As the processes are established, the tasks should address the identification and implementation of specific energy saving projects.
A complete and effective energy strategy will address the following aspects:
Organising roles and responsibilities and ensuring there are sufficient resources available.
Download Energy management (CTG054)
Compliance with energy and climate change regulations is required of businesses and the public sector. Visit the Carbon Trust’s climate change legislation web pages for details of regulations and links to government sites.
Investment in projects will be needed to take full advantage of cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities.
Download Making the business case for a carbon reduction project (CTV039)
Procurement of buildings, equipment and services should take due account of the implications for energy efficiency and energy related costs.
Energy information management, or Metering, Monitoring and Targeting (MM&T) – the measurement and analysis of energy use – is central to good energy management. Visit our MM&T page for further information.
Identifying energy saving opportunities is an ongoing process. There are two ways of doing this:
- analysing energy data through MM&T
- carrying out energy surveys.
Download Energy surveys (CTG055).
The organisational culture of an organisation can either support or hinder energy efficiency. People are more likely to change their habits if they understand how their actions affect energy consumption and costs. Visit our Employee Awareness page for further information and supporting materials such as posters and stickers.
Download Creating an awareness campaign (CTG056).
Internal communications are an important part of developing an organisation’s culture of energy efficiency. To demonstrate their green credentials some organisations may also wish to communicate their endeavours to their customers, suppliers, shareholders and the local community.
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Management review
As with any management process, regular reviews are vital to ensure that sufficient progress is being made and that policies, strategies and action plans continue to be up-to-date and relevant. An annual review is typical, but this may need to be more frequent in the early stages.
For an full introduction to energy management, and tools to implement energy management in your organisation, see our webinar:
View our energy management webinar (requires registration)