Commercial sector in danger of missing targets

Recent reports have shown that the commercial sector may not be doing quite enough when it comes to decarbonisation. In Bilfinger GVA’s latest Green to Gold survey, there were worrying trends when it came to the commercial sector’s sustainability management.

According to the report, only half of respondents claimed to assess operational energy efficiency while less than 20% said they assessed greenhouse gas emissions. What’s more, a large proportion of those surveyed weren’t assigning specific figures to the costs and benefits of sustainability issues when they made their investment appraisal calculations.

With many respondents having spent little time and money on their green future, the move towards a decarbonised future looks set to be slow. In fact, 70% of those surveyed admitted that they didn’t believe the sector could achieve a 52% reduction in operational carbon intensity by 2030.

Despite the bleak picture pictured by the report, there are a number of standards that are likely to affect the commercial sector over the next few years. These will likely kick start sustainability activity and boost investment in renewable technologies.

3 low carbon solutions to help you meet your targets

At Low Carbon Energy, we have a number of services and solutions designed to make the move to a decarbonised future easy. What’s more, our services are affordable too and offer a viable solution for all commercial businesses.

1. Solar Panels

Why not switch to solar to power your commercial operations? By using the power of the sun, you’ll be able to save money on energy bills while reducing your CO2 emissions. There are a variety of ways to pay, plus initiatives including the Energy Efficiency Grant (detailed below) and Carbon Trust Energy Efficient Financing.

2. Infrared Heating

Ditch poor and inefficient central heating in favour of energy efficient Far Infrared Heaters. Herschel’s specialist heating systems will offer savings of up to 30% against conventional gas heating and 60% against traditional heating systems used in the commercial world. What’s more, they’re CO2 free too!

3. LED Lighting

If solar seems like too big of a step for you right now, why not start with smaller changes and switch to LED lighting? LED lighting promises significant CO2 savings while reducing your lighting running costs by up to 60%

New funding for SMEs

If you’re an SME, you might also be able to take advantage of an Energy Efficiency Grant, designed to make reaching your targets that little bit easier.

The £7m fund, available from early June, will be split amongst SMEs on a first come first served basis and will help small businesses to assess and improve their energy efficiency. Up to £10k is up for grabs for each company or 15% of the total value of a project. This money can be spent on energy saving training, cost saving assessments, and support for the installation of energy saving equipment.

If you’re interested in finding out more, give us a call today. With funds for up just 1,000 – 2,000 SME’s, it’s likely to run out fast.

For further information about the technologies mentioned today, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

What are you doing to ensure you’re meeting all of your green targets? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @LowCarbonEnCo