Archive for November 2010
Business Overheads Reduced by Improving Energy Efficiency
November 30, 2010 | 
Author Reduce Business Costs by Improving Energy Efficiency
Thousands of British businesses have certainly suffered due to the downturn, so anything that can be done to reduce overheads has to be welcomed. Even if your company is lucky enough to not be in that situation, making your business leaner by reducing overheads will still improve profitability.
]Most, The majority of] modern businesses’ have considerable fixed overhead costs incurred when powering IT. Offices are equipped with a raft of PCs, MACs, laptops and other associated peripherals which all consume electricity, even when they are in standby mode.
Add in photocopiers, fax machines, other electrical appliances such as fridges and, of course the costs of running plant and machinery and you are looking at a high utility bill. So, follow a few of these tips on effectively and efficiently using your IT resources and other electrical appliances and you will soon be reaping the rewards in the form of reduced overheads.
During office hours, encourage workers to think about how they are using their computers, think about introducing a reward system for the employee who does the most to reduce their energy usage and indeed their overall carbon footprint. If spending prolonged periods away from the desk encourage staff to hibernate PCs, MACs or laptops on put them on an idling setting so that they use less energy. Better still, if they are away for a significant amount of time get them to power off their machines altogether.
There are lots of softwares now available which will automatically shut down computers after it has been idle, I have even seen some that will switch off the computer if the built in camera, or stand alone IP camera, realises that you have not been looking at the screen for X amount of time, all worthwhile investing in.
In addition to doing all you can in the office to raise awareness about how to use computers and electrical appliances you will also find that power utility companies offer business energy management devices and schemes that enable you to understand where you power is consumed and allows you to take positive action to reduce your costs.
For example, when you leave the office don’t leave your computers and peripherals running overnight. Switch them off altogether or at the very least power off to standby or sleep modes before leaving the office. Unless you run a 24 hour hot-desking operation, your computers will only be required around eight hours per day, so by leaving them on when they are not being used is considerably increasing your utility burden.
Of course, this is merely a very brief overview of what can be done to save energy in the workplace.
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Environment professionals call for mandatory greenhouse gas reporting
Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment report says forced reporting will benefit businesses and UK economy
Forcing all companies to report on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would result in significant cuts to the UK’s carbon emissions while delivering significant cost savings for British firms, according to a report published today.
New research by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) says that the number of companies reporting on GHG emissions has grown steadily over the past ten years, with a 20 per cent rise in 2009-10 alone.
The report found that those organisations that have been monitoring emissions have made average cuts to their carbon footprint of nine per cent over the last two years with large construction and manufacturing firms delivering the largest improvements.
It also argued that carbon reporting had helped firms reduce their energy bills, improve relations with suppliers and customers, and justify investments in low carbon technologies and initiatives.
However, the report found most UK companies are still not tracking GHG emissions, prompting IEMA to argue that mandatory reporting represents the only way to force small and medium-sized enterprises to measure their carbon footprint.
Compulsory reporting should be rapidly introduced for large emittors, the report said, but other companies would benefit from a process where the speed at which they would be brought into the scheme would depend upon their GHG emission footprints.
Recent Respondents to the survey told IEMA that without legislation, GHG reporting would be lost amid competing priorities, such as other legislative requirements and boardroom demand for immediate financial returns.
Section 85 of the Climate Change Act 2008 requires the government to introduce mandatory reporting requirements through the existing Companies Act. This legislation has to be in place by 6th April 2012, or the government has to explain to parliament why it hasn’t done so. Thie IMEA report is the second call on government this year to introduce mandatory reporting of GHG Emissions, it is no longer a question of if but rather when government will announce mandatory reporting.
Posted in carbon emissions, carbon reduction, ghg emissions | Tags: carbon emissions, carbon reduction, ghg emissions, ghg reporting | No Comments »
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) Explained
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) Explained
Are you a Scotland or UK based business and are you involved in the supply, manufacturing or import of any of the following?
1. Large household appliances – excludes ODS fridges/freezers
2. Small Household appliances (e.g. toaster, kettle, vacuum cleaner)
3. IT and Telecommunications equipment
4. Consumer equipment (e.g. videos, radio, hi-fi) – excludes CRTs
5. Lighting equipment – excluding flourescent tubes
6. Electrical and electronic tools (e.g. drills, saws, sewing machines)
7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment (e.g. electric trains, video games)
8. Medical Devices – excludes contaminated items
9. Monitoring and control instruments (e.g. smoke detector, thermostats)
10. Automatic dispensers (e.g. vending machines)
11. Cooling equipment including category 10 devices with cooling
12. Display equipment (CRTs) including plasma and LCD
13. Gas discharge lamps (e.g. flourescent tubes)
If your answer is Yes, then you need to read this!
The WEEE Directive is based on article 175 of the European Commission (EC) Treaty which established the European Union. This directive makes producers responsible for financing the collection, treatment, and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment. It also requires distributors to allow consumers (this includes sole traders and partnerships which could be argued that they are infact consumers) to return their waste equipment free of charge. This provision is based on the precept that the polluter should pay and applies irrespective of the selling technique, including distance selling e.g. online and not the end user.
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