Energy

For most companies, energy is the main area where a business impacts on climate change. It is therefore imperative that changes are made to the way in which energy is used with the business.

What to do

There are a number of ways in which you can reduce the impact your energy use is having on climate change:

• Reduce the amount of energy you are using;
• Become more efficient with the energy that you must use;
• Procure your energy from a green supplier.

In addition to reducing your impact on climate change, becoming more energy efficient will also make economical sense to your business.

How to do it

There are a number of programmes, campaigns and support services in place that can help you better manage you energy. The main body with responsibility for energy is the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) was established as Ireland ’s national energy authority under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002. SEAI’s mission is to promote and assist the development of sustainable energy. This encompasses environmentally and economically sustainable production, supply and use of energy, in support of Government policy, across all sectors of the economy including public bodies, the business sector, local communities and individual consumers.
 
SEAI supports businesses through advice and training programmes that boost the competitive edge of Irish companies and help increase profits. Tackling energy usage is a valuable way to reduce costs and enhance competitiveness, and has proven itself in many Irish companies who have seen significant gains. SEAI have a number of programmes suitable for small and medium businesses. These include:

• Energy Assessments – SEAI offers free assessments for firms, analysing current energy use and immediate opportunities for savings, as well as advice on appropriate monitoring and management.
• Energy MAP (Energy Management Action Plan) – This is an online tool which provides a step by step guide to creating a best practise action plan for your business.
• Energy Management, A Guide for Small Business – This is a guide designed to help owners / managers of small businesses to improve their energy management. It is accompanied by a workbook to fill in details specific to each business together with a folder, which can be used as an Energy Management File and a completed sample workbook.
• Energy Training – SEAI also provides a range of training courses. These courses provide introductions to good energy management tailored for specific groups or sectors, with associated advice and support for participants.
• Energy Awareness Material – SEAI provides a range of energy awareness information and material which can be used to develop an in-house energy awareness campaign.

Energy Tips

1. Check appliance ratings before purchasing. By purchasing “A” rated or ‘Energy Star’ appliances, your business can reduce its energy consumption and lower its emissions.
2. Introduce a sustainable procurement policy for energy appliances which requires that all newly purchased products have high energy efficiency.
3. Enforce a company policy that requires computer users to place their computer on ‘energy saving mode’, and to switch off computer monitors if they are leaving the office for more than an hour and especially when they are leaving at night.
4. Ensure that this policy applies to all IT equipment in the office, such as printers, scanners, and photocopiers.
5. Suggest to your employees that they unplug their mobile phone chargers when not in use, as these drain energy even if a phone is not charging.
6. Place signs on all light switches reminding people to turn off the lights when the room is not in use. In addition, replace incandescent light bulbs with energy saving bulbs. As a further step, you could install motion sensor lights in rooms, which turn lights off automatically if the room is not in use!