Technologies

Climate change is a business reality and you should get ready for a major political move in the way of thinking with regard to renewable energy expectations.

Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gasses (eg carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere and is one of the largest causes of climate change across the world; this is why you need to use renewable energy sources, whenever and wherever you can.

There's going to be a gradual transition to a global low-carbon economy – a move driven by regulation and structurally higher energy prices.

If you're going to combat climate change you really need to consider alternatives.

What to do first

Anybody who is serious about reducing their carbon footprint can start making changes immediately. What's not so easy is making decisions about which is the best renewable technology alternative for you.

You can make a start by adopting a whole range of energy efficient measures, to reduce the amount of energy you use and you need to be doing this before switching to a renewable source.

There are plenty of things you can do, if you haven't already started:

• Switch to low-energy light bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs use up to 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 15 times longer!
• Turn down your thermostat by a couple of degrees, you can save up to 10% on your annual heating bill
• Turn your computers, monitors or printers off when not in use, they burn a huge amount of energy
• If you have a loft, increase the depth of your loft insulation to at least 25-30 cms
• Insulate solid/empty cavity walls, if possible
• Seal all leaky doors and windows, air leakage wastes an enormous amount of thermal energy
• If you use fridges or freezers at work, when you replace them make sure you get an energy efficient model. An ‘A++' rating denotes the best energy efficiency
• When making that morning cup of tea, make sure people only boil enough water in the kettle for the amount of cups they are making
• Help your people understand how they can reduce energy in the work place

After you've done all of this, the next step is investing in renewable energy.

How do you select a renewable energy technology?

First of all you need to consider your current mix of energy use; do you mainly use electricity, and how is this being generated? Is the demand constant or is it different from day to night, from season to season? And finally, how much of this energy supply could be replaced with a renewable alternative?

Energy Assessment/Feasibility study

Once it has been agreed that you are eligible for the grant scheme an energy assessment (or more detailed feasibility study) can be undertaken to determine your business' current energy needs, any predicted increases in this, further reduction measures that could be undertaken and finally identify appropriate renewable energy technology for your site. If this has already been identified, then the suitability of the technology will be assessed.

Given the range of issues to be covered, these energy assessments/feasibility studies should be undertaken by experienced consultants.