Lower energy consumption Lower carbon emissions Lower energy bills

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TM

Lower energy consumption

Lower carbon emissions

Lower energy bills

Practical energy efficiency advice for businesses

Helping you to:

• Use less energy

• Spend less on bills

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The road to

greater

energy efficiency

starts here…

Saving energy delivers real benefits 3

How to get the most out of this guide 3

Office equipment 4

Space and water heating 5

Buildings 6 Air conditioning 7 Lighting 8 Electric motors 10 Compressed air 11 Commercial boilers 12 Refrigeration 13 Process plant 14

Microgeneration – could you make your own energy? 15

Putting ideas into action 16

Extra help from npower SmartStart 16

Funding for energy efficiency measures 17

Further help with energy efficiency 17

Sample Action Plan and Energy Policy 18

Need more help or advice?

Our expert Energy Efficiency team is on hand to help. Just call the helpline on 0845 070 4019.†_{Or visit our website at}

www.npower.com/SmartStart, where you’ll find lots more useful information and advice.

All saving figures quoted in this guide are taken from The Carbon Trust 2008 - 2010, www.carbontrust.co.uk

† We may monitor and/or record calls for security, quality or training purposes. Calls from BT landlines to numbers beginning with 0800 and 0845 may be free. The price of calls may vary with other operators and calls from mobiles may be considerably higher. Please check with your operator for exact charges.

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There’s a simple business case for being more energy efficient – it could have a direct impact on your bottom line. In short, reducing energy waste reduces energy spend. But alongside saving money, you could also reduce the level of carbon emissions your business is responsible for. And as carbon emissions are linked to climate change there’s also a strong environmental case for using less energy.

The Carbon Trust estimates that most business can cut energy spend by around 10% by taking some simple efficiency measures. And if you’re prepared to invest a little, you could increase this even more and start offsetting the cost against savings from day one.

Whatever business you’re in – and whether you’re a small company or a larger organisation – this guide details a number of actions you can take to become more energy efficient.

Clearly, not all will apply to you. But have a read through and perhaps mark all those that do. At the back of this guide, you’ll find a template for an action plan where you can list ten key priority measures with a timescale to implement. Most efficiency measures can be delivered quickly and simply, but others may require some planning or investment.

You’ll also find some useful contacts for further help and support, including details of organisations that can provide funding and loans for energy efficiency measures that require some capital outlay.

If at any stage, you have any questions or need some more help, please contact us – our Energy Efficiency team are always happy to talk to you. Just call the helpline on 0845 070 4019.†

Saving energy delivers real benefits / How to get the most out of this guide / Page 3

Saving energy delivers real benefits

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Whatever your business, the chances are you need some office equipment to operate, whether it be computers, photocopies, printers, fax machines etc. In some companies, office equipment can be responsible for up to around 30% of total energy consumption. Using equipment more efficiently can therefore make a significant difference to energy spend.

Easy ways to save on office energy expenditure

Only switch on what you need

A photocopier left on unnecessarily could increase your energy bill by up to around £194 a year.

Consider whole life cost approach when you buy equipment

An energy star compliant laser printer could reduce your energy bill by around over £19 per year.

Turn off computer monitors when you leave

A 17” tube monitor left on unnecessarily could cost up to around £37 per year.

Save up photocopying until you have a batch

Photocopiers use a lot of energy when they’re first switched on and when they’re left on because they need to be warm to work. For maximum efficiency, save up copies into a batch and then turn the copier off again. This could save you up to around £194 a year.

Avoid copying documents unnecessarily

Cutting down on paper, toner (or ink) and energy could lead to a saving of around £50 per year.

Enable energy saving features on all equipment

Power consumption could be reduced by up to 80%. Enabling power save on a laser printer could save up to around £11 per year or more.

Avoid using screen savers as they rarely save energy

Sometimes screen savers use more energy. Turning off a screen saver and activating the power save function on a computer monitor could save around £25-£45 per year per monitor.

Keep photocopiers outside air conditioned spaces

This may save up to around £200 per year in ‘warming-up’ costs for each copier.

Avoid printing emails

You can save paper, toner/ink and energy by not printing emails and documents that aren’t strictly necessary. The energy alone could be worth around £6 or more per year, per printer.

Find out more ways of saving energy with office equipment

Contact The Carbon Trust at www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/energy, or call 0800 085 2005

Office equipment

Savings in practice:

Just by turning off the TV in their café when no-one’s watching it, Independent Motor Auctions in Leeds could cut their energy bill by around £26 a year. (Based on prices in 2008)

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Space and water heating / Page 5

Heating your business premises and ensuring adequate hot water can use up a lot of energy. For maximum efficiency, aim to match your space and water heating to the occupancy of the building and regulate it to maintain the desired temperature.

Top tips to reduce heat waste

Ensure thermostats are set to the desired temperature for heat and hot water

For every 1˚C of extra heat, your heating bill increases by around 8%. For warehouses, 16˚C is usually an acceptable temperature, and 20ºC for offices. For hot water, between 60˚C and 65˚C is suitable for catering and washing to avoid Legionella (any higher can also increase limescale build-up).

Reset timers after clock change from BST to GMT

If the heating is on at the wrong times, you could be paying for an extra hour of heat made up from portable heaters – up to around £95 per heater per year.

Ensure radiators are unobstructed

This will increase circulation of heat. If you have to resort to using portable heaters to make up for insufficient heat, these can cost up to around £95 per heater per year.

Fit insulation material behind radiators on outside walls

This could save you around £10 in a year, although circumstances do vary.

Fit thermostatic radiator valves

If your radiators are on full without any form of regulation, you could be overheating a room and increasing your heating bill.

Get a new boiler

If your boiler is over 20 years old and you spend around £1,100 a year on your heating bill, you could save around £330 simply by fitting a new condensing boiler.

Have boilers professionally serviced

Maintaining your boiler could save you up to around £120 per year in efficiency costs, if you currently spend £400 on space heating bills.

Turn off boilers during the summer months

Using an immersion heater during the summer could save around £20 per year, although circumstances vary.

Ensure your hot water cylinder (calorifier) is well insulated

If you spend around £160 per year on hot water, this could be halved with an insulated cylinder.

Ensure adequate insulation on all hot water pipes

Insulate all hot water pipes, flanges and valves to prevent heat loss and cut down on your hot water bills.

Want to know more about space and water heating?

The following organisations can help with queries about space heating and hot water and the various methods of control:

• The Carbon Trust

www.thecarbontrust.co.uk Tel 0800 085 2005

• The Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association

www.hvca.org.uk Tel 020 7313 4900

(provides information on local contractors)

• The Combustion Engineering Association www.cea.org.uk

Tel 029 2040 0670

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Buildings / Page 6

Effective insulation and draught proofing is essential to reduce heat loss from buildings – as well as limiting any noise and airborne pollution. Most buildings have scope for improvement. Good insulation is best fitted during the construction or refurbishment of a building when it is more cost effective and less disruptive. However, there are still changes that you can make to existing buildings at any time.

Buildings

Good housekeeping for more energy efficient buildings

Seal external doors and windows with draught excluders

By fitting self-adhesive draught excluders to outside doors and windows, you could save around £20-£40 on a typical heating bill of £400.

Keep doors closed between heated and unheated areas

This could reduce your energy bills by around £40-£80 on a typical cost of £800.

Add a lobby to cut down on heat loss

If your reception costs £200 per year to keep warm, around £50 could be wasted by allowing heat to escape through a frequently used door.

Fit automatic sensors on loading bay doors

If your loading bay costs £160 per year to keep warm, you could save about £40, depending upon how many times the door is opened, by installing an automatic sensor.

Insulate cavity walls and roof spaces

Prices will vary depending on circumstances but your investment could typically be recouped within five years.

Ensure room temperatures are thermostatically controlled

If you spend £600 per year on space heating, you could reduce your energy bill by about £48 for each degree the temperature is reduced.

Don’t heat unoccupied rooms

Check to make sure that radiators or heaters are turned off in rooms that aren’t used.

Want to know more about buildings?

For help with queries about buildings and the various methods of control, contact:

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Air Conditioning / Page 7

Air conditioning can be a blessing during summer months, but it doesn’t need to run 24/7. Nor should it run too cold. Both will increase energy costs considerably.

Air Conditioning

Keeping cool for less

Ensure thermostats are set to the desired temperature

For every 1˚C below 24˚C, you could be adding 8% to your air conditioning bill so check regularly that your room temperature thermostats are set correctly. Cooling to 23˚C or 24˚C is normally quite acceptable.

Avoid simultaneous heating and cooling

If you spend £80 heating a space in winter and a further £120 cooling the same space in the summer, your annual bill is £200. But if the systems are both running simultaneously, it could cost you around an extra £50.

Check humidity controls

Unnecessary humidity control could double the energy required.

Replace air handling unit dampers with variable speed drives

This will significantly reduce running costs and provide a return on investment typically within three to five years.

Use the right filters and keep them clean

Blocked or incorrect filters could be adding to your energy costs and lowering the overall efficiency of your air conditioning system.

Keep condensers clean

Blocked, damaged or dirty condensers can increase air

conditioning bills by around as much as 25% and may also lead to inadequate cooling.

Remove or insulate all heat sources in air conditioned spaces

Identify and eliminate all heat sources – uninsulated hot pipes, photocopiers, etc – as they can cause your air conditioning system to work a lot harder.

Minimise the use of other office equipment that generate heat

One 17” desktop PC monitor left on unnecessarily could cost around £74 per year in direct energy costs plus a further £20 per year for additional air conditioning costs, although

circumstances vary.

Minimise solar gain

Control excessive heat from the sun by using blinds or shades.

All chilled water pipes should be well insulated

By insulating chilled water pipes you could be saving on your energy bills, as the chiller plant could operate more efficiently.

Portable air conditioners should reject heat directly outside

Maximising the efficiency of portable air conditioners could save as much as around £50 per year for each externally ducted unit.

Want to know more about air conditioning?

The following organisations can help with queries about air conditioning and the various methods of control:

• The Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association

(also provides information on local contractors)

By adjusting temperature settings on air conditioning from 21˚C to 23˚C, the Queen’s Arms pub in Brighton could save around £232 a year. (Based on prices in 2008)

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Lighting / Page 8

Every business needs lighting in one form or another and uses a significant amount of energy simply so that people can see to do their jobs properly. Retail outlets also rely on display lighting so that their goods are correctly lit to make them visible and appealing. While natural lighting is often preferable, it’s not always available or practical. Many businesses also have changing needs

throughout their work hours. So artificial lighting is a necessity.

The key to being more energy efficient with lighting is having a system that produces the maximum amount of light for the input power and is flexible and responsive to changing circumstances. The control system is therefore crucial.

Lighting

Simple steps to reduce lighting bills

Check lighting levels

You may have more light than you need. Removing an unnecessary 100 watt incandescent bulb could save about £20 a year.

Turn off fluorescent lights when not needed

A popular myth is that it’s not worth turning off fluorescent lights for short periods. This isn’t true. Turning off a single 65 watt fluorescent fitting at break times could save around £4 per year.

Turn off unnecessary lights

Each twin 58 watt fluorescent fitting costs about £23 a year to run.

Rewire lighting controls for small groups of lights, or even individual lights

The more control you can have over the light you use, the less likely you are to waste energy. So consider fitting dimmer switches, automatic presence or sunlight detector sensors.

Fit a time switch to control fixed hours of lighting

Each 70 watt lamp lit all night, when part night operation would do, costs around an extra £14 per year.

Label light switches

Only turning on lights that are needed will save money – a fitting with 4 x 18 watt lamps will cost about £17 a year to run.

Fit daylight and/or occupancy sensors to lights

For a group of 6 x 80 watt fluorescent fittings, savings in the order of £51 per year could be achieved.

Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs

Standard incandescent lamps are inefficient, generating 10% light and 90% heat. Swapping a 20 watt low-energy lamp in place of a 100 watt incandescent lamp could save you around £16 a year.

Simply by replacing 4 x 58 watt T8 fluorescent tubes in their main office with T5 conversions, Regency Press in Birmingham could save more than £30 a year. (Based on prices in 2008)

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Lighting / Page 9

Use task lighting rather than light the whole area

A single 18 watt task light instead of an overhead fluorescent light with 4 x 18 watt tubes could save about £12 per year – enough to cover the cost of buying the task light.

Replace 38mm fluorescent tubes with 26mm tubes

For each 65 watt bulb substituted with a 58 watt lamp, you’ll save around £3 per year – more than the cost of the new bulb. This will usually work with lamps that have starters, excluding 8ft fittings. If in doubt, try one first.

Consider whole life cost approach when buying lighting

By replacing twin 80 watt fluorescent fittings with new twin 58 watt high frequency fluorescent fittings, you’ll make energy savings of around £13 per fitting. Plus, you’ll have the benefit of lamps that last twice as long and operate flicker-free.

Replace or remove flashing fluorescent tubes

A 100 watt fluorescent tube flashing every couple of seconds could waste £72 worth of energy in a year.

Consider turning off external lighting

Rather than leaving lights on all night, fit motion sensors. For a typical 300 watt tungsten halogen lamp, you could save up to £20 a year. Where lights are required to be lit all night, choose discharge lighting – a 70 watt high pressure sodium lamp rather than a 300 watt tungsten halogen lamp saves around £42 over the year.

Want to know more about lighting?

The following organisations can all help with queries about internal and external lighting and the various methods of control:

• UK Lighting Manufacturers’ Trade Association

www.lif.co.uk Tel 0207 793 3020

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Electric motors / Page 10

Electric motors are major users of electricity in industrial plant and commercial premises. Motive power accounts for almost half the total electrical energy used in the UK and for nearly two thirds of industrial electricity use. Consider what the motor is actually doing. Is it doing useful work? If not, turn it off.

Electric motors

Maximise motor efficiency

Prevent unwanted motors running

A 4kW motor turned off for an hour a day could save about £100 a year. A 50kW motor turned off for an hour a day could save over £1,200!

Slowing down a motor could make significant energy savings

Fitting variable speed drives could lead to significant energy savings with paybacks between three and five years. A motor taking 14kW at 1,500 rpm and costing £1.19 per hour to run could drop to around 9p an hour to run if adapted to around 1kW at 750 rpm.

Use direct drives rather than belt drives

A 12kW motor driving a pump directly, rather than via a belt, could save about £260 throughout the year.

On belt driven systems, ensure pulleys are properly aligned

A 10kW motor driving a pump with pulleys that are not properly aligned could add around £220 to the annual energy cost.

Changing pulley ratios on fixed speed motors could lead to significant energy savings

Slowing a motor down by simply changing the pulley ratio is very cost effective for fixed speed motors and could achieve paybacks in under a year. A motor taking 6kW at 3,000 rpm and costing 51p per hour to run, for example, could take less than 1kW and cost less than around 7p per hour to run at 1,500 rpm.

Connect oversized motors in permanent star configuration

An oversized motor costing £200 per year to run could reduce its cost to around £180 if connected in permanent star formation.

Use high efficiency motors

A high efficiency EFF1 rated motor used in place of a 25kW basic motor running continuously all year, could save about £400.

Want to know more about motors? Then contact:

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Compressed air / Page 11

Compressed air is a convenient and often essential utility, widely used in industry. However, it takes a lot of energy (usually electricity) to generate and consequently is very expensive. For example, it costs up to ten times more to run air tools than their electric equivalent, because only 10% of input energy to a compressor is doing useful work while the other 90% is rejected as heat. Up to 30% savings are possible by following some simple good housekeeping measures, often achievable at no or low cost.

Compressed air

Steps to reduce the cost of compressed air

Consider heat recovery

It could yield up to 40% of the compressor’s input power as a ‘free’ heat source.

Ensure compressed air is used appropriately

As an energy source, compressed air costs ten times that of electricity (90% is wasted as heat in the compressor) so it should be used sparingly. Using compressed air to dry products when a simple 3kW blower would do, for example, means that you could be wasting more than £2 for each hour of continuous use – and maybe as much as £4,000 in a year.

Locate and fix air leaks

If you have a 30kW compressor running on load for eight hours per day and 40% is wasting away, then you could be losing the equivalent of £1,600 per year.

Switch off compressors when not needed

A 30kW compressor running offload over lunchtime all year round, could be costing you more than £200 in wasted energy a year.

Maintain compressors properly

A 15kW compressor running inefficiently could be costing you more than an extra £850 a year.

Reduce compressed air generation pressure

Compressors that cost £1,500 a year at 7 bar pressure could only cost around £1,400 if reduced to 6 bar.

Avoid unnecessary filtering or drying

Providing ultra clean air when basic filtered air is all that is

required could be costing you dearly in energy and filters. Drying also costs significant amounts as the air has to be cooled to separate the moisture. Ensuring that you are filtering and drying to the required standard and no more could lead to significant financial savings.

Ensure that multiple compressor installations are properly sequenced

Exact savings will depend on your own system.

Ensure air inlets are clear and unobstructed

If your 40kW compressor is drawing air from within a room with an ambient air temperature of 33˚C, you could be adding about 4% to the running cost, which could mean around an extra £800 per year, based on a 40-hour week.

Isolate redundant pipework to areas that no longer need compressed air

Exact savings will depend on your own system.

Want to know more about compressed air?

The following organisations can help with queries about compressed air and the various methods of control:

• British Compressed Air Society

www.bcas.org.uk Tel 020 7935 2464

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Commercial boilers / Page 12

Many boilers are small and compact and are used for space and water heating applications, particularly in the smaller commercial and retail business sectors. Some larger buildings and many industries will have much bigger boilers (or a combination of boilers) and these need to be considered more specifically than the smaller, individual packaged boilers.

It’s worth noting that not all of the heat produced by a boiler is useful. Some is lost up the flue, some through the boiler case and some through leaks in the system. With steam boilers, heat will also be lost during blowdown (a process that helps to prevent the boiler clogging up with particles left over when water is converted to steam). Further losses can occur if the condensate (what’s left when the steam turns back into water) is not collected and re-used. So there are lots of ways to limit energy waste and

maximise efficiency.

Commercial boilers

Getting the best from boilers

Replace old boilers

All modern boilers have a better efficiency than their older counterparts, so replacing an old boiler with a new one could save as much as around 30% depending upon individual circumstances.

Downsizing a boiler could lead to savings

Boilers were often oversized, so there may be an option to downsize, which could lead to additional savings. However, replacing a boiler can be an expensive option and may cause considerable disruption, so it may be worth considering other measures first.

Insulate all hot water pipes, flanges and valves

Insulate all hot water pipes, flanges and valves to prevent heat loss and you could save up to around 10% of supplied energy.

Ensure the boiler is only running when it needs to

Check the timer and review what’s required as the seasons change.

Ensure the boiler is only heating to the required temperature

This will vary according to what you need it for, but for every 1˚C of extra heat, your bill could increase by around 8%.

Deal with variable needs for heat

Where there’s a variable need for heat in particular areas, ensure that the steam or hot water pipes can be isolated when not needed.

Check for water or steam leaks and rectify as necessary

Leaks waste heat – and therefore energy.

Ensure boilers are regularly serviced

Boilers should be professionally serviced at least once a year to ensure optimum efficiency.

Insulate boiler casing

Insulate (or add extra insulation) to the boiler casing. Consult an expert if you are unsure.

Act to detect problems with boilers

Regularly monitoring flue gas temperatures and the composition of the flue gas itself can lead to early detection of a problem with your boiler. Either consult an expert or have automatic monitoring equipment fitted.

Ensure that a minimum number of boilers are running

In multiple boiler installations, a sequencing control device should be used to ensure that the minimum number of boilers are running fully loaded, rather than all boilers running on part load.

Maximise condensate

Maximise the amount of condensate being returned to the boiler, as this could save heat energy and save on water treatment costs. Consult an expert for advice.

Position new boilers effectively

If you’re considering getting a new boiler, site it as near to the heat demand as possible.

Want to know more about boilers?

The following organisations can help with more information and advice about boilers:

• The Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association

(provides information on local contractors)

• The Combustion Engineering Association

www.cea.org.uk Tel 029 2040 0670

Updating their old hot water boiler with a new energy efficiency boiler could save Bristol-based pie makers Pieminister around £155 a year, with a payback period of less than three years. (Based on prices in 2008)

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Refrigeration / Page 13

Refrigeration energy costs British industry around £300 million a year and rising. In certain sectors – notably food and drink, chemicals, food supermarkets and cold storage – it accounts for a significant proportion of overall site energy costs. A small percentage reduction in refrigeration energy could therefore represent huge financial savings.

Many refrigeration units can be improved to save up to around 20% of their energy consumption. Much of this can be done at little or no cost, with paybacks on any investment of well under two years being the norm.

Refrigeration

Chilling at maximum efficiency

Is cooling really needed?

A freezer cooling 2˚C lower than necessary and costing £190 a year to run could be wasting around £30.

Minimise the number of times that doors are left open

Each time the door is opened, cold air escapes and warm moist air enters – both of which lead to greater energy use. The warm moist air has to be cooled down and in the process ice forms, leading to more frequent defrosting as the ice builds up.

Keep evaporators and condensers clean and unobstructed

If your freezer costs around £1,500 a year to run, then it could cost you about an extra £150 if you allow the evaporator temperature to rise by 3˚C – and twice this amount if the condenser temperature also rises by 3˚C.

Fix all refrigerant leaks

Refrigerant gas is expensive and lack of it will severely limit the performance of your system and add to the running costs.

Keep door seals in good condition

Replacing a bad door seal with a good one will often pay for itself in less than 12 months for example.

Insulate refrigerant pipes

Pipe insulation is very good value for money and will keep running costs down. Often the outlay can be recovered in less than two years for example.

Ensure adequate insulation around the cooled space

Insulation will keep running costs down, with any outlay often recovered in less than three years.

Want to know more about refrigeration?

The following organisations can help with queries about refrigeration and the various methods of control:

• The British Refrigeration Association

www.feta.co.uk Tel 0118 940 3416

• The Institute of Refrigeration

www.ior.org.uk Tel 020 8647 7033

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Process plant / Page 14

Process plant covers a diverse range of equipment, including dryers, furnaces, baking ovens, mixers and blenders, crushers and grinders, tanks and vats, treatment booths and many others used for specialist jobs in industry. However, this equipment is often overlooked when people are thinking about energy efficiency because it’s seen as too specialist. Concern about product quality can often hinder trying anything new. But there are some simple house-keeping measures that can reduce energy costs significantly.

Process plant

Using process plant effectively

Shut down unnecessary plant

Preventing any unwanted plant from running will save the full input power to the plant. For example, a 15kW kiln turned off at night when not needed could save over £2,000 in a year.

Plan for energy efficiency in new installations

An investment in energy efficiency at an early stage could yield good results in the longer term.

Ensure plant is used at its optimum level

It’s always better to run plant at its optimum, as this is when efficiency is greatest. At quiet times, it may be better to shutdown the plant and allow for the workload to build up again.

Monitor energy performance of key processes

Monitoring consumption patterns on a regular basis will help keep track of costs, but may also give an early indication of equipment malfunction, as increasing consumption is often associated with imminent plant failure. Monitoring equipment and software could help you to keep track these costs without having to manually check through energy statements.

Ensure plant is properly maintained

Poorly maintained plant could use up to 30% (sometimes more) energy for the same production and is more likely to break down.

Consider options for improved controls for existing processes

A control system that maximises through put but minimises costs is the ideal set-up and could lead to savings.

Consider opportunities for heat recovery

This could yield up to 40% of your compressor’s input power as a ‘free’ heat source.

Want to know more about process plant?

The following organisation can help with more efficiency information about process plant and the various methods of control:

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Microgeneration – could you make your own energy? / Page 15

Businesses are now being encouraged by the UK government to invest in small-scale electricity generation – from mini wind turbines and solar panels to tapping energy from on-site hydro sources and installing anaerobic digestion units. It’s all part of Britain’s low-carbon strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions and help meet future renewable energy targets.

As a result, the Feed in Tariff (FIT) scheme became effective on 1 April 2010. FIT is a ‘clean energy cash-back’ scheme designed to incentivise businesses and households to invest in small-scale renewable technologies in return for guaranteed payments.

Tariffs are set taking into consideration the technology costs and expected electricity generation, with an approximate rate of return of between 5 percent and 8 percent for well-sited installations.

To find out more about the benefits of FITs, please contact one of our specialist Feed in Tariff advisors on 01905 340646.

Microgeneration

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Next steps / Page 16

Now you have reviewed the key areas for saving energy, the next stage is putting this information into practice – and getting the help and support you need to make this happen.

Next steps

Putting ideas into action

Extra help from npower

Once you’ve identified the key measures that can help your business, you might find it helpful to list ten key priority measures you can start with to help reduce energy waste. There’s an action plan over the page which you might like to use as a template. It can also be useful to appoint a person, or a team of people, to take lead responsibility for making your organisation more energy efficient and help get your whole team on board. So if you don’t already have this in place, you may like to consider finding one or more staff to take on this responsibility.

Once you have your energy efficiency ‘champion(s)’ decided, defining an energy efficiency policy that best suits your business is an ideal next step. For a small business with limited energy use, the policy shown in Appendix 2 may be appropriate. However for more complex businesses or those with more demanding energy needs, a bespoke solution may be needed. Again, if you need help or

advice, do contact our Energy Efficiency team on 0845 070 4019.†

We have developed a range of products and services under our SmartPower brand to support our business customers in successfully reducing energy waste, carbon emissions and energy bills.

For smaller businesses, SmartStart offers a range of advice and expert help. The advice is free to npower business supply customers and includes an Energy Monitor to help you understand more about how your business uses energy – and how you can become more efficient. Plus there are lots of helpful tips, a personalised energy audit with tailor-made efficiency recommendations, and an online Carbon Footprint Calculator. For more information, see npower.com/SmartStart or call the Energy Efficiency team on

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Next steps / Page 17

• Loans

interest free loans for energy efficiency investments may also be available, particularly if you are a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) and plan to repay the loan from the energy savings the investment will generate. The amount available from The Carbon Trust scheme is currently £3,000 to £100,000 at 0% interest and no fees. More details are available on the Carbon Trust website at

www.thecarbontrust.co.uk.

• The Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme

this scheme offers tax incentives if you invest in energy saving equipment, including claiming 100% first year capital allowances for approved energy saving equipment. The ECA website has a list of eligible energy technologies and equipment – these currently include lighting, heating ventilation and air conditioning equipment, boiler equipment, compressed air equipment, refrigeration and more. For full details, visit the scheme’s website at www.eca.gov.uk or call The Carbon Trust Energy Helpline on 0800 085 2005.

Further help with energy efficiency:

a government-funded organisation that provides energy efficiency information, advice and funding for UK businesses looking to save energy and carbon emissions. The trust promotes best practice and encourages action, with advice and support at every stage – from planning to design, implementation and management. Key services include:

• Free information and advice, whether basic or technical.

• Professional, independent and objective advice about

energy-efficient and environmentally-conscious building design.

• Free on-site energy surveys, conducted by professional

energy consultants who will draw up an action plan showing how your business could save money, energy and reduce emissions (usually for larger customers spending over £50,000 per year on energy and subject to availability and eligibility criteria).

• Possible funding for energy efficiency improvements (again,

subject to availability and eligibility criteria). For further information, visit

www.thecarbontrust.co.uk or phone 0800 085 2005.

• The Energy Systems Trade Association (ESTA)

an energy management trade association, focusing on the energy efficiency of buildings, building services and process services for businesses. ESTA represents over 100 suppliers of products and services covering the energy efficient monitoring, control, operation and management of buildings, building services and process services. For further information, visit www.esta.org.uk or phone 07041 49 20 49.

• The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)

produces a range of publications on energy efficiency issues related to buildings. CIBSE also offers professional training, education and membership services. For further details, visit www.cibse.org or phone 020 8675 5211.

• The Energy Institute

provides individuals and organisations with professional training, education and membership services in energy and environmental management and awareness. The Institute is also an NVQ delivery centre and accrediting body for a variety of company and university courses. For further details, visit www.energyinst.org.uk or phone 020 7467 7100.

• The National Energy Foundation

an organisation that manages the Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme, which provides independent verification of the achievements of organisations

implementing energy efficiency and management measures. For further information, visit www.nef.org.uk

or phone 01908 665555.

Funding for energy efficiency measures

Many energy efficiency measures cost nothing to implement, while others require minimal expenditure with a short pay-back period. However, some efficiency improvements may require more significant investment – and where that’s difficult to fund, you may be able to get some help.

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Sample Action Plan / Page 18

Appendix 1:

Sample Action Plan

XYZ Co Ltd Energy Policy

XYZ Co Ltd is determined to conserve all forms of energy to reduce operating costs and to minimise damage to the environment. With volatile and increasing fuel prices, it has become imperative that we all seek to use less energy. As well as moving towards more efficient use of energy, XYZ Co Ltd will strive to source its energy needs from renewable sources, which will further protect the environment.

It is hoped that over the next two years, XYZ Co Ltd will have saved a minimum of 10% of its energy use by the adoption of best practice, modern engineering solutions and by the encouragement and commitment of its employees to use less energy. These savings can be channelled into further energy saving initiatives and front line services in support of our main business activities. We’ll renew this energy policy at regular intervals and update it to take into account changing circumstances and to ensure it provides opportunities for continuous improvement.

The responsibility for overseeing the energy policy and for subsequent reviews has been delegated to Mrs Somebody, who will be supported by Mr Someone. Please give them your whole hearted support.

President’s, Chairman’s or Chief Executive’s signature:

Date:

Item What will be done Who will When

1 Ensure all computer monitors are turned off at night All Every night

2 Fit door closer to external door Fred By 20 March

3 Change T12 fluorescent tubes to T8 Bill By 25 March

4 Undertake compressed air leak test Harry By 2 April

5 Check thermostat settings on space heating Bill By 25 March

6 7 8 9 10

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Sample Energy Policy / Page 19

Energy Policy Statement

Targets

Gas

Electricity

This document sets out the goals, objectives and targets for the sustained reduction in energy use throughout the XYZ Co Ltd organisation. This energy policy forms the basis of a two-year energy saving plan, which will lead to environmental benefits and lower operating costs. The energy policy will run between August 2011 and July 2013 and will be reviewed every six months to ensure the goals, objectives and targets are on track and to incorporate any necessary changes.

It is the intention of XYZ Co Ltd to:

• Publish our corporate energy policy.

• Purchase environmentally friendly energy, where we are not disadvantaged by so doing.

• Adopt a whole life costing approach to purchases, where particular attention is paid to energy efficiency.

• Reduce energy consumption, and thus reduce carbon emissions.

• Improve overall energy efficiency.

• Engineer solutions for saving energy rather than rely solely on manual intervention.

• Encourage and motivate employees to save energy.

• Publicise these objectives.

• Ensure all items identified in our action plan have been implemented.

• Introduce energy conservation into the induction process for all new employees,

XYZ Co Ltd has agreed to a sustained reduction in energy consumption, year on year, by the adoption of the two-year energy saving plan. The individual targets for reductions in gas and electricity are detailed below. The base year for statistical purposes will be 2008 and all targets will be set and measured against this.

For gas, the plan is to reduce consumption by around 5% per year over the next 2 years, leading to a total reduction of 10% in gas usage by 2013. This will be measured by kWh/m2, and weather conditions will be taken into account.

For electricity, the plan is to reduce consumption by around 5% per year over the next 2 years, leading to a total reduction of 10% in electricity usage by 2013. This will be measured by kWh/m2.

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For further information call our expert Energy Efficiency helpline on

0845 070 4019

†

† We may monitor and/or record calls for security, quality or training purposes. Calls from BT landlines to numbers beginning with 0800 may be free. The price of calls may vary with other operators and calls from mobiles may be considerably higher. Please check with your operator for exact charges.

npower is a registered trademark and the trading name of Npower Limited (registered in England and Wales no. 3653277), Npower Direct Limited (registered in England and Wales no. 3782443), Npower Northern Limited (registered in England and Wales no. 3432100) and associated companies. Registered office: Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon, SN5 6PB.

npm7847/09.10

Lower energy consumption Lower carbon emissions Lower energy bills