Businesses are responsible for around 20 percent of carbon emissions. This means that they have a big part to play in our collective endeavour to slash carbon emissions and mitigate climate change.
Rather than having energy-efficiency measures enforced on your business, it will behove you to adopt these measures on your own as part of your energy and net zero plans.
Net zero is a business opportunity in addition to being a necessity to keeping our planet and people safe. The opportunity is that net zero will provide resiliency for that business. If your business can prove it is reducing emissions, you will win over the hearts and minds of stakeholders – investors, executives, and consumers. Emissions is a chief concern for many in the public and private spheres of business; stakeholders want to see businesses reduce their impact on global warming.
The quickest “win” in the net zero journey is energy efficiency. This is not simply about overhauling sites with windmills and solar panels – although that certainly plays a part in the wider net zero strategy. Rather, the energy efficiency quick win comes through operational and behavioural changes within a business. Many of these quick-win strategies are born out of having an energy audit of your business. From there, an energy plan – supported by energy management technology – will guide your business the rest of the way.
Here are just a few examples of energy-saving operational changes your business can make to start reducing its carbon footprint (and save money along the way):
- Reduce peak demand – Strategically stagger your operations and equipment use during low energy demand periods of the day.
- Program thermostats – There is no need to heat or cool your workplaces when everyone has left.
- Turn off the lights – Similarly, look to install motion-sensor lighting in in-frequently used areas of your business such as conference rooms, restrooms, storage areas, and so on.
- Get an energy audit – Get professional assessments on how your business is consuming energy. Energy auditors will identify opportunities for you to further optimise energy consumption.
- Eliminate “phantom energy” – Power down computers and equipment when they are not in use and keep peripherals (printers, monitors, etc.) connected to power strips (surge protectors), if possible, to reduce energy waste.
- Greenify your interior and exterior areas – If you’re in control of your interior and exterior designs, bring in as many trees, plants, and greenery as possible. Trees and bushes planted outside your business will block sunlight and wind; plants and greenery placed inside will do the same. In this way, you can reduce your heating and cooling needs.
Some of these operational and behavioural changes require very little if not no capital to implement right away. Very quickly, your business will see savings in energy costs, more efficient output of your products and services, and, importantly, impactful reductions of carbon emissions.
Technology helps, too. Our energy and carbon auditing platform, ClearVUE.Zero presents your sites’ energy consumption data in near real-time, allowing you to take immediate informed decisions on how to optimise your operations.
If your business energy contract includes DUOS charges, the red-amber-green (RAG) toggle overlays your energy data graph with the zones that represent the peak and non-peak periods of the grid. This will help you schedule high energy-consuming operations during non-peak periods when possible.
ClearVUE.Business has been working with companies from diverse sectors to identify these small changes that can lead to significant cost savings and carbon emissions reductions. Your business can begin to shrink its carbon footprint today. Our team of sustainability and energy consultants will help you find and adopt these behavioural and operational changes as part of your greater net zero and energy efficiency strategy.
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