Stick to it

When it comes to global warming and climate change, slipping back into old habits could be very costly indeed. “Climate change is no longer a theory but a reality,” says Nigel Alcock of npower business. “The UK is experiencing longer, hotter summers and milder, wetter winters – a direct result of the environmental damage caused by harmful emissions. Every £75 of energy saved avoids the release of a tonne of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere so if every business took small steps to become more energy efficient, the impact on the environment, and not to mention running costs, would be quite dramatic.” The company itself is leading by example, and has already taken steps to reduce the environmental impact of three of its buildings across the country by permanently switching off five neon signs. “We are keen to set an example to other businesses by demonstrating just how easy it is to reduce harmful carbon emissions,” continued Alcock. “We estimate that over the course of the next 12 months, simply switching off the signs will save 24,270 kWh – enough energy to make 782,903 cups of coffee or run off 72 million A4 laser copies. This is clearly a significant saving and hasn’t cost us a penny – in fact it has saved us money!” Businesses can pledge their commitment to reducing carbon emissions by logging on to the npower website. All suggestions will then be posted on the e3 website – e3 is the result of its commitment to help businesses reduce their energy costs and increase awareness of the impact carbon emissions have on the environment. New business customers switching to npower will receive the e3 package, including an electrisave energy saving device that allows monitoring of costs and energy use on a daily basis. During February, npower business will also be offsetting between one and three tonnes of CO2 for every new e3 customer, depending on their energy consumption. This activity is being carried out in conjunction with The CarbonNeutral Company, experts in calculating your carbon footprint and offsetting unavoidable CO2 emissions through a range of worldwide technology and forestry carbon offset projects. In the meantime here are some top tips to help reduce the carbon emissions produced by your business: 1. Save £3 a year on EVERY 38mm fluorescent tube in your business by replacing them with 28mm fluorescent tubes 2. Save £20 a year on 300 watt tungsten halogen external lights by fitting motion sensors 3. Replace 100W incandescent bulbs with 20W low energy compact fluorescents and save £16 a year 4. Fit time switches to control lighting. Keeping one 70 watt lamp lit when you don’t need it is like burning £14 a year 5. You can cut up to £40 on a typical £400 bill by closing doors between heated and unheated areas 6. Maintain your compressors properly. A 15kw compressor running inefficiently could cost over £850 a year 7. Turn off photocopiers. Left on unnecessarily, they could waste £194 of energy 8. Keep your air conditioning condensers clean and save 25% 9. You could save up to £10 a year for every radiator on an outside wall by fitting insulation behind them 10. Save £200 per year per photocopier in your business by keeping them out of air conditioned areas