As previously mentioned the audit arranged by the Carbon Trust was pretty thorough, and conducted by someone who did seem to know what he was talking about.
About a month after the audit I received a report which was followed by a feedback session. The report gave an overview of the findings, and detailed a number of carbon reduction opportunities with their pay-back time.
Two sites had been audited, and it wasn’t always perfectly clear which data and suggestions related to one or both of these sites. There were some useful (and relatively cheap) suggestions.
The report, as expected, concentrated on the use of gas and electricity at the site. A breakdown of the electricity use for the site was provided; unsurprisingly it is the Plant itself and the lighting which constitute the biggest proportion.
The recommendations for the site vary in magnitude and expenditure from a pay-back time of less than 6 months to approximately 2 years.
The top three suggestions anticipate reducing the carbon footprint of the site (currently estimated at 642 tCO2e) by 41.3 tCO2e: a reduction of approximately 6%. The top three priorities were listed as:
- Implement the findings of the report with regards to our energy management.
- Improve lighting.
- Shutdown of IT equipment.
The other changes require an expenditure in excess of £10k, but expected to produce a carbon footprint reduction closer to 10%. These are also changes that will take longer to implement and so, if deemed appropriate, may be saved for next year.
The report concluded with an energy management matrix, summarising their view of our energy management practices (to be honest, this is not very good reading).
The matrix looked at the following: Energy Policy, Organisation, Training, Performance Measurement (improvement in this area is underway — more about this in a later blog), Communication (as with most companies, we have already realised that this is an area where much improvement can be made) and Investment (this is perceived as our best performing area).
I will publish a series of posts over the coming months with the detailed verdict; planned improvements, and how I am dealing with the fact that the actual cost savings are quite minimal compared with total expenditure and our profitability.