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Where is your business wasting energy?
Nov 09, 2020
Energy is one of the biggest expenses facing businesses, yet paradoxically it’s also the area where there can be a significant amount of waste. Old buildings, inefficient equipment and a lack of insight into exactly what, where and when energy is being wasted are all part of the problem. However, more often than not, the biggest energy loss hotspots fall into these three areas: 

Lighting

Lighting up your premises may seem fairly inconsequential but it’s surprising how much costs can soon mount up. In fact, if your business operates inside a building of any kind, lighting is usually one of the biggest energy eaters and there are all sorts of reasons for this.


Traditional incandescent light bulbs and halogen spotlights are often still in use. This type of lighting throws out as much heat as it does light, making it very expensive to run. However, a lot of energy is also wasted with poor lighting practices. Unnecessary lighting during out of hours, lights left on after use and exterior lighting coming on during the day all do their bit to waste your energy and bump up your bill.  

Heating 

According to The Carbon Trust, heating typically accounts for up to 40% of the energy used in non-domestic buildings. However, if you happen to be operating in an energy-intensive industry like manufacturing or have a particularly high space heating demand like a hospital or swimming pool, then this will be higher still.


Some of the most common causes for wasting energy through heat, no matter what industry you’re in, are things like heat loss from draughts, overheating areas that don’t need it (such as storage rooms or corridors) and heating at times of the day when it’s simply not needed. Even a poorly placed thermostat can have a knock-on effect on your energy bill.

Cooling

In many ways, cooling your business poses much of the same issues as heating. Any business where the heating and air conditioning control temperatures are competing against each other will understand just how easy it is to waste energy and money this way. And since many businesses have an air-conditioning system of some kind to provide a comfortable environment to work, this problem is likely to be fairly commonplace.


Old energy-eating air-conditioning units are often partly to blame, along with an inefficient system and controls set up and poor insulation. Even staff can throw things off if they use the thermostat incorrectly. However, with a good understanding of your business and its energy use it becomes much easier to know where to make the necessary changes.

Balancing planet and profit during unprecedented market volatility

06 Jul, 2022
Balancing planet and profit during unprecedented market volatility

Why are energy prices high compared to a year ago?

By Vander Caceres • 14 Jun, 2022
Wholesale energy prices have experienced unprecedented levels of volatility since the end of summer 2021, with both day ahead/spot and future contracts surging to all-time highs. In the last couple of months, prices have decreased but still remain high compared to a year ago. This period of high energy prices is expected to continue for the foreseeable future (see next section). Energy prices have surged for a number of reasons: A global increase in gas demand following the ease or end of Covid-related restrictions throughout 2021. After the pandemic, economies across the world started to recover. Asian countries like China saw their imports of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) increase. This resulted in lower LNG shipments to the UK and Europe. On the supply side, the Covid-19 lockdowns pushed some maintenance work from 2020 into 2021 at a time when demand was recovering. In 2021, gas production hit a record low of 363TWh, 47TWh below the previous record low in 2013. Low production was the result of an extensive summer maintenance schedule which saw shutdowns at several major terminals, as well as the Forties Pipeline System which serves a significant proportion of UK gas and oil production. A lack of wind in the summer resulted in higher demand for conventional power. European gas storage in 2021 and Q1’22 remained far below previous years and it’s unclear how these are going to be replenished in the summer given the concerns around supply including the potential suspension of Russian gas flows due to sanctions. The 1,234km offshore Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was designed to double the flow of gas between Russia and Germany (and by extension the rest of Europe) has been abandoned following the invasion of Ukraine. Gas storage in the UK is extremely minimal with capacity at less than 2% of the UK’s annual demand, compared with 22% for other European countries. Whilst the UK is not heavily reliant on gas coming from Russia, it sources almost half it’s gas supply from Europe. Hence, wholesale gas and power prices in the UK are now subject to knock-on-effects from the conflict in Ukraine.

What does volatility mean for your journey to net zero?

20 May, 2022
Amidst rising energy costs, digitalisation, growing pressure from stakeholders and increasing regulation, organisations may struggle to define their pathway to a low-carbon future. What can you do to protect your business’ net zero plans from the challenges of volatility? Disruption and volatility are putting organisations under pressure. Digitalisation and new technology developments continue to challenge existing business models. Its increasing dependence on energy and encouraging businesses to drive change to secure competitive advantage. And as customers, employees and shareholders look to engage with companies who understand the importance of decarbonisation, pressure is mounting to prioritise sustainability.
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