The Prince's Mayday Network

Some ways using heating and air conditioning more efficiently:

1.       Optimise controls on Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Set timer controls to make sure that heating or cooling is operating only at the time and in the locations that buildings are occupied. Ensure that heating and cooling systems are not operating the same time by setting a gap between 19–24ºC to create a comfortable ‘dead band’ where no heating or cooling is operating.

2.       Maximise use of natural ventilation – in the summer, use natural ventilation at night to cool building fabric and when HVAC system is not in use open windows to provide cooling and only close windows and use air conditioning if this is not enough.

3.       Engage staff in energy awareness campaign (see Engage Employees Sectio [LINK] . Educate staff on using building temperature settings to avoid excessive heating or cooling. Encourage staff to dress appropriately to accommodate normal range of office temperatures between 18 and 26 degrees. When HVAC system is in use, close windows to maximise effectiveness.

4.       Reduce internal heat by powering down photocopier, printers, computers, lighting when not in use.

5.       Reduce the need for cooling – reduce overheating using blinds or external window shades. Fix solar shading devices to air-conditioned areas or consider planting deciduous trees. Install low energy office equipment to reduce heat emitted.

6.       Ensure comprehensive maintenance schedule for HVAC to maximise effectiveness – check condensers, refrigerant, pipe work, fans, filters, and air ducts, and clean or repair as necessary.

7.       Improve existing HVAC system with low capital investment projects - insulate all hot water tanks, boilers, valves and pipe work unless they provide useful heat to occupied spaces. Control heating using seven day timers. Fit thermostatic radiator valves (TRV’s) to radiators, place thermostats away from draughts and direct sunlight and at a distance from any heating sources. Fit draught strips and seal up windows and doors that are no longer used.

8.       Improve existing HVAC system with higher capital investment - consider replacing boiler with condensing boiler, replace ventilation motors with high efficiency variable speed drives. Replace belt driven fans and pumps with direct drive models. Investigate options for heat recovery from outgoing air flow.

9.       Investigate feasibility of new or improved Building Energy Management System (BEMS). This may include install zone controls to allow heating and cooling of different parts of the building, enabling heating to be reduced in areas that are warmed by the sun.

10.   Investigate feasibility of incorporating renewable energy technologies, including Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and heat pumps.

Want more information?

http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/publications/pages/publicationdetail.aspx?id=CTV003

The Carbon Trust website on heating: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon-reduce-costs/products-services/technology-advice/pages/heating.aspx

The Carbon Trust website on ventilation: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon-reduce-costs/products-services/technology-advice/pages/ventilation.aspx

The Carbon Trust website on air conditioning: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon-reduce-costs/products-services/technology-advice/pages/air-conditioning.aspx

The Carbon Trust website on boiler and heat distribution: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon-reduce-costs/products-services/technology-advice/pages/boiler-heat-distribution.aspx

The Carbon Trust website on Combined Heat and Power (CHP): http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon-reduce-costs/products-services/technology-advice/pages/combined-heat-power.aspx

Some ways of reducing the energy use of your electrical equipment:

1.       Avoid buying or using unnecessary equipment and appliances.

2.       Switch off everything when not in use, for example, computers, photocopiers and printers at lunch, night and weekends, and ensure mobile phones chargers are unplugged when not in use.

3.       Consider fitting time controls to equipment that is shared (e.g. printers and photocopiers).

4.       Enable energy saving mode where available on all equipment including computers, photocopiers, printers, fax machines and vending machines.

5.       Engage staff in reducing energy - communicate financial benefits of switching off equipment and procedure for switch off/powering up again using posters and labels on equipment. (See Engage section of Journey).  Many people do not realize the energy implications of boiling the kettle… important not to over fill!

6.       Minimise energy required for printing and photocopying- set defaults to minimise printing and paper use (typically black and white two sided printing), reduce margins on default documents to minimise the number of sheets printed, use lower-energy inkjet printers for internal documents, and save higher energy laser printer for high-quality external documents.

7.       Minimise energy required for vending and hot drinks – adjust thermostat on vending machines to minimise energy without reducing food product quality or shelf life. Fit timer controls to switch off when not required. Encourage staff to only

8.       Switch off equipment during working hours if not in use - encourage all staff to switch off monitors when they leave their desk for more than five minutes and switch off unnecessary equipment during the day to reduce heat build up.

9.       Place photocopiers in areas that are naturally ventilated to reduce energy used by building cooling systems.

10.   Embed low-energy principles into purchasing policy - purchase equipment with low energy ratings such as Energy Star, European Ecolabel Scheme, Energy Saving Recommended, Market Transformation Programme. Consider power consumption in standby mode as well as during operation. Replace old computer monitors with lower power LCD models. Ensure that hot drink vending machines have low idling power, and good hot water insulation.

11.   Increase understanding of energy use by installing energy smart meters to give real-time feedback on energy use at a local level, and set appropriate targets for energy use.

Want more information?

The Carbon Trust website on office equipment: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon-reduce-costs/products-services/technology-advice/pages/office-equipment.aspx

You have started monitoring and made the easy fixes. Time to get strategic! Use the guidance below to take a more strategic approach to your energy reduction:

1.       Get commitment from senior management and key decision makers – build the business case for improving energy management, which is likely to include reduced costs, reduced exposure to environmental legislation such as the Climate Change Levy and the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme.

2.       Understand the issues – complete an energy management matrix, ranking current progress from 0-4 for the following areas – policy, organising, training, performance measurement, communication, and investment. Use benchmarks to make comparisons (e.g. year-on-year or per tonne of production). Analyse stakeholder needs and identify motivations.

3.       Produce an energy policy – this is likely to include part A, which articulates senior management support and overall aims, and part B, which sets more details objectives, targets, responsibilities and timeframes. Your objectives will depend on the size, sector and requirements of your business. Targets should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), for example ‘our business aims to reduce our direct carbon footprint by xxx tonnes every year’. You may want to consider the following factors to help you prioritise objectives and targets:

• Energy use that can be reduced most quickly
• Where most cost savings can be made
• Energy use which is most affected by legislation
• Energy use which has the greatest environmental impact

4.       Set targets in terms of carbon emissions as well as energy use to reflect the need to reduce emissions from energy use. Two types of target are widely used for carbon emissions:

• Absolute targets: these are usually expressed as a reduction over time in a specified quantity of emissions to the atmosphere, the unit typically being tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e)
• Intensity targets: these are usually expressed as a reduction in the ratio of GHG emissions relative to another business metric. The business metric can be a measure of the output of the company (e.g. tonnes CO₂e per tonne of product, or per kWh), or some other metric, e.g., sales, revenues or office space.

5.       Implement the energy management strategy ensuring that short-term and long-term priorities are addressed and that clear roles and responsibilities are established.

6.       Monitor ongoing performance – collect and analyse data using a monitoring and targeting process, report against key performance indicators, and revisit energy management matrix and detail of strategy. Ensure that senior management support is re-affirmed.

7.       Consider certification such as the Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme (EEAS) and Eco Management Audit Scheme (EMAS) and ISO 14001.

Want more information?

The Carbon Trust website on energy strategy: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/Publications/pages/publicationdetail.aspx?id=CTV022

Once carbon emissions from your business’s operations have been reduced to the lowest possible level, some companies may seek to buy credits for emission reductions made elsewhere to ‘offset’ their remaining carbon footprint. The decision of whether or not to offset will depend on the company, the broader CSR strategy and the resources available. Companies should always invest in reducing their own direct environmental impacts as much as possible before investing in offsets.

1.       Investigate options for reducing carbon reductions and check that you would be buying bona fide offset reductions which are in line with your organisational aspirations. Offsets can range from local tree planting (near your operational base) to financing the capping of chimneys on factories in the Far East. The ‘story’ behind the offset is important and not all offsets are the same.

2.       We would caution against describing things as ‘carbon neutral’. If your operations release greenhouse gases these will cause some harm to the atmosphere and it is very hard to say that your offset activities completely negate these. It is better to speak of acting to reduce the harm caused by your residual emissions once reduced as far as possible. Some offset (and environmental rehabilitation) companies that have good reputations are (in no particular order):

• The Woodland Trust offers a carbon initiative that allows businesses and individuals to offset their unavoidable carbon emissions by creating new woodland that will capture and store carbon indefinitely. Woodland Carbon also helps local wildlife and communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.
• The Carbon Neutral Company offers businesses a full range of carbon offset purchasing options including Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) approved for implementation in countries that have a reduction target under the Kyoto protocol and Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) approved for countries that do not have a Kyoto reduction target, and Gold Standard verified carbon credits.
• Carbon Retirement buys ‘permits to pollute’ from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme On behalf of organisations and individuals and effectively tears them up (‘retires’ them). Industrial companies that would have bought the permits instead have to reduce their emissions. Carbon Retirement’s offsetting service has been accredited by the UK’s Department for Energy and Climate Change, and they are unique in being the only company accredited to remove ‘permits to pollute’ for offsetting in the UK.
• Trees for Cities is an independent charity working with local communities on tree-planting and landscaping projects. Its aim is to tackle global warming, create social cohesion and beautify our cities through tree planting, community education and training initiatives in urban areas of greatest need.
• Healthy Planet is a charity set up to inspire, encourage and support people around the world and allows you to make a positive & measurable difference. At Healthy Planet, you manage your donation - where it goes & what it does. For example, you can select and look after your very own piece of the planet or your school to support.
• Plan Vivo is a System for developing community-based payments for ecosystem services (PES) projects and programmes, with an emphasis on building capacity, long-term carbon benefits, diversifying livelihoods and protecting biodiversity. Plan Vivo puts people at the heart of the solution. Its mission is to empower communities to take control of their resources.