Saving through energy efficiency

Manufacturers are often seen as the engine room of the UK economy, with figures showing that UK exports were a key contributor to the overall economic growth last year. With that in mind, protecting the bottom line of these businesses is crucial to ensure that they maintain productivity and remain competitive in the global market. We're urging manufacturers to take a number of steps to ensure that energy doesn't put added pressure on costs, especially with the winter period now at our door. Implementing efficiency measures has become a proven strategy for many businesses, including our own where we have employed a number of tactics to measure a 15% absolute energy reduction in 2013 compared to 2012, to increase margins. On energy intensive sites, half-hourly automatic metering can be used to carefully identify when and where energy is being used and detect spikes in sites' energy systems. This data can then be fed into energy monitoring software, such as our own 'encompass' technology, enabling sites to recognise opportunities to minimise energy use. Leading by example, we've put in place a number of measures in order to maximise energy efficiency across many of our own different sites, from offices to depots. By implementing these measures and better procurement, we managed to reduce our carbon intensity by 41.6% at the end of 2013, compared to 2008 levels. We've installed wind turbines and solar panels to take advantage of certain sites' natural and renewable resources. Tapping into these existing, but hidden, resources has provided us with long-term solutions to save on our energy costs. For example, at one of our offices in the West Midlands, we saw electricity consumption fall by 40% using senergy efficient lighting and new energy management; cooling and heating systems. With this in mind, a new EU directive, named the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme is also being put into force, requiring all EU member states to introduce a programme of regular energy audits for 'large enterprises'. These audits must be undertaken by 5 December 2015 and then at least every four years. This provides an opportunity for sites to consider the cost benefits of making small changes as well as ensuring that they are abreast of policy. If you would like any further information on energy solutions for your business, the dedicated team would be happy to hear from you on: business@npower.com