The Prince's Mayday Network

Anglian Water: Drop CO2

Introduction

Climate change represents a serious challenge for all water companies, particularly Anglian Water. Its Drop CO2 campaign drives to mitigate this by reducing its carbon emissions and energy costs, providing both environmental and business benefits.

Anglian Water is one of the largest energy users in the East of England. Energy accounts for 17% of its operating costs and some 90% of its carbon emissions are attributable to its consumption of electricity, gas and fuel oil. Understanding this impact Anglian Water has a long term aspiration to reduce carbon emissions by 50% in 2035.

Process

Relevance:

Challenge

What and How:

In response to the threat of climate change, Anglian Water is taking adaptation and mitigation actions to protect its customers, assets, and the environment from irreparable damage by both flood and water scarcity in its low-lying, dry region.

The Drop CO2 campaign is about halving the company’s embodied carbon and reducing its operational carbon in real terms. The campaign aims to do this through a variety of different routes including an energy initiative, renewables and supplier engagement.

In 2009/10 Anglian Water has set out to save £10 million in energy costs. To date over 50GWh have been saved equating to over 27,000 tonnes of CO2 and electricity use 717 GWh in 2009/10 (2008/09:731 GWh).

It recognises that these achievements would not have been possible without inspiring, encouraging and investing in powerful relationships with all its stakeholders.

Its strategy of involving all staff in generating and acting on ideas to reduce energy usage in the organisation has consistently delivered results. The ideas and commitment from staff across the business has saved over 5,000 tonnes of carbon every year since 2006.

Drop CO2 is part of Anglian Water’s long-term visionary campaign and business strategy ‘Love Every Drop’ (Link to other case study) which aims to fundamentally change the relationship people have with water.

Impact

• During 2007–2010 Anglian Water achieved savings of over £11 million in energy costs.
• Through the period 2007 – 2010 GHG emissions intensity against turnover reduced by 5.63%.
• To date over 50GWh have been saved equating to over 27,000 tonnes of CO2.
• Saving in electricity from energy innovation amounted to 9GWh or 5,000 tonnes of CO2e.