Utility Industry News from Energy Solutions
The advice offered by energy brokers and consultants helps many energy buyers find the right electricity or gas contract for their business. And with over 60% of UK energy now procured through energy brokers like ourselves, it demonstrates how strong this proposition has become. But why do so many businesses choose to use an energy consultancy firm such as Energy Solutions - The Energy Consultants, rather than simply employing internal resources to fulfill their requirements? There is a general acceptance that using consultants provides an independent and fresh approach to evaluating opportunities that can add significant value.
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100 Ideas House – how you can incorporate energy saving in the home
Posted on May 30th, 2008 No commentsI am always interested in innovative, exciting new ideas to promote - not only the issue of climate change - but more particularly those communications which talk to people who do not have three degrees in sustainable technology, i.e. the majority of humankind! This is a great idea developed by CSE in Bristol and it’s called a 100 Ideas House. You can view the YouTube video here. Basically the idea is to take a life size model of an interior of a modern home and show how you can incorporate energy saving measures into a normal aspirational life style. I think it is a really sharp piece of media work and thoroughly recommend that you have a look. As I understand it the plan is to take this around shopping centres and the like to see how it is received by the great British public, so go look at www.100ideashouse.com. I don't think you will be disappointed.
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100 Ideas House – how you can incorporate energy saving in the home
Posted on May 30th, 2008 No commentsI am always interested in innovative, exciting new ideas to promote - not only the issue of climate change - but more particularly those communications which talk to people who do not have three degrees in sustainable technology, i.e. the majority of humankind! This is a great idea developed by CSE in
Bristol
and it’s called a 100 Ideas House. You can view the YouTube video here. Basically the idea is to take a life size model of an interior of a modern home and show how you can incorporate energy saving measures into a normal aspirational life style. I think it is a really sharp piece of media work and thoroughly recommend that you have a look. As I understand it the plan is to take this around shopping centres and the like to see how it is received by the great British public, so go look at www.100ideashouse.com don’t think you will be disappointed.. I -
What a load of rubbish
Posted on May 30th, 2008 No comments
I have just been looking at today’s papers and reading about the latest manufactured crisis in bin collection, eg the Daily Express’s item “Oh No Not Another Rubbish Idea”, which basically is talking about the need for householders to sort their rubbish into five different bins. Well, perhaps I have missed something here, but in my household we already sub-divide rubbish into paper, plastics, glass, compost and general household rubbish. So what’s to worry about?! I can understand that people living in small houses/flats may have certain difficulties, but for the vast majority of households it is actually just about making a small effort isn’t it? Or are there people out there who really do resent such a small action on their part, in order to help the environment? If so that’s really rubbish. -
Greening your fleet: James McNaughton Group plc show the way!
Posted on May 13th, 2008 No commentsI was delighted to be invited by James McNaughton Group to help them officially launch their new ‘GM2’ Modec electric van outside our offices a couple of weeks ago. This vehicle, charged by renewably generated electricity, replaces a traditional diesel van. It has the potential to save over 4,250 litres of fuel and around 11 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
The new electric truck is just the icing on the cake though. After receiving a free Green Fleet Review from us (find out more about what we offer by clicking here!) the James McNaughton Group implemented a number of measures to help improve the environmental impact of their fleet. For example, ensuring drivers on the employee car ownership scheme opt for a diesel, petrol-electric hybrid car capable of doing a minimum of 37 mpg – rising to a minimum of 42 mpg by end of this year. They have also introduced smarter driving training and a journey planner guide and capture data to enable comprehensive and ongoing analysis of fuel usage and miles driven.Of course the best way of saving fuel and reducing carbon dioxide emissions is by not travelling in the first place. Therefore, to reduce fleet mileage, James McNaughton installed video conference facilities in their offices. No doubt, I’ve forgotten to include some of the many other measures they’ve implemented, but there iis no question that James McNaughton should provide a benchmark for other organisations aiming to reduce their own environmental impact. If nothing else can convince you - then take at look at the savings James McNaughton have achieved since the Green Fleet Review.
- More than 69 cars have been changed and the fleet profile is now 60 per cent diesel
- Total business mileage has been cut by 107,000 miles, despite 17 cars being added to the fleet in 2006.
- In 2007 annual fuel costs were reduced by more than £86,000, and an estimated 245 tonnes of CO2 emissions cut. Drivers are also benefiting because they are saving money on the fuel tax they pay on their private mileage.
- In addition, the company’s logistics operation has spent the last few years implementing better route planning and reduced its fleet by 43 vehicles, cutting road mileage by over one million miles per year and carbon emissions by 975 tonnes. -
Remember You’re A Womble!
Posted on May 9th, 2008 No comments
The recycling pioneers. The Wombles showed back in the 70s how to make "good use of bad rubbish"Two articles caught my eye today, in contrasting ways. The first was in the Independent, which reported on a new study from the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which claims 60 per cent of the food that we dump - worth some £6bn - has never ever been used or even touched.
Joan Ruddock, the Environment Minister was moved to say that the figures were absolutely staggering at a time when food prices were rising, customers are starting to struggle to meet food bills, and here we are tossing away 6.7 million tonnes of food which could be eaten. The figures are not without their controversial side, but you have to say from an energy perspective, the sheer amount of energy wasted in producing, growing, packaging, transporting this amount of food that then never gets eaten is quite outrageous especially given that most of the dumped food ends up in landfill where it emits lethal green house gases, such as methane.Contrast that with an article In Your Environment by Penney Poyzer - the well known celebrity (she will hate me for that) - who really does walk the talk when it comes to living the green life style and puts most of us, myself included, to shame. Her article was all about remembering the Wombles; those pointed nosed creatures much loved in the 70s, whose motto was “make good use of bad rubbish”. She points out, even during the 70s they were ahead of their time recycling all of the things human kind left behind, including clocks, trains out of barrels, hammocks out of nets and yes, food from skips.
Although you can get carried away with some of the whimsy in the article (“I have got a bit of a thing with olive oil tins”) no-one can deny the sheer obscenity of the current situation, in which a third of all food bought is thrown away. Surely the alternative scenario where we kit out our homes with reusable products, only buy enough food for our needs and, where possible, grow our own food is the only way forward.
There is no choice really, so as she says “Remember, Remember You’re a Womble”
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British Gas gives green light to UK’s largest ever energy saving light bulb initiative
Posted on May 9th, 2008 No comments52 million energy saving light bulbs to be sent to customers in bid to save around nine million tonnes of CO2 Initiative is biggest ever in UK and could save around nine million tonnes of CO2. Customers to get four energy efficient light bulbs each, along with energy saving tips.