UK's Budget offers little hope for CRC Initiative
The UK is rapidly losing the race to be the global powerhouse of the green economy, while other countries streak ahead in low carbon technology and development. Britain has fallen from third to 13th place in the league table of countries investing in alternative energy, according to research by US Pew Environment Group, and is not living up to its 'greenest Government ever' ambition pledged by David Cameron, at the start of the Coalition Government.
Green initiatives have been pushed by the UK Government, but with tall targets such as those outlined in the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme last Wednesday's supposedly Green Budget has done little to help UK Business. By law, the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme is a mandatory commitment for all UK organisations that consumed more than 6,000 MWh per year of half-hourly metered electricity in 2008, affecting large public and private sector organisations. Reaching these targets and producing the 'Carbon Footprint Report' for the introductory phase due July 29th 2011, UK business is under huge pressure to complete the necessary information within the deadline. Failure to submit a report - late or incorrectly, results in a ?5000 fine.
Chris Smith, Sales and Marketing Director of on365, outlines key priorities for tackling the CRC and to help businesses drive greener operations: "Many UK companies are struggling to implement efficient green business strategies. Areas such as lowering the cost of data centre cooling , condensing IT equipment into smaller spaces, renewing equipment for more efficient designs and even turning lights off can really help decrease a business's carbon emissions. Organisations need to grasp the urgency of the CRC, as incorrect reporting can be financially crippling. With the disappointment of the Budget offerings of financial support to UK business, organisations need to look elsewhere to achieve environmental compliance."
on365 is an accredited channel for the Carbon Trust interest free loans designed to support small to medium size businesses in replacing or upgrading existing equipment with more energy efficient solutions. Chris Smith advises businesses and organisations to concentrate on:
Measuring where you are using Power: If you don't know where you are using energy you can't even start to evaluate where to save it.
Efficient Systems: Investing in high efficiency graded equipment, for example a new UPS.
Air Conditioning Units in the Server Room: The use of air conditioning units in server rooms. Units are not always economical, using too much energy on a 24/7 basis. on365 can design for maximum efficiency which often results in less ACU units!
Office Equipment: Automating the energy consumption of office equipment to ensure that all unused equipment is switched off during non-office hours.
Water Footprinting: Businesses consume huge amounts of water annually; knowing ways to recycle water in a more efficient way will help to decrease carbon emission.
With an increasing focus on regulations, compliance and the need for the UK to play its part in the green agenda, businesses need to take action and use the resources around them. on365 encourages businesses to take advantage of the Carbon Trust interest free loans as part of the process of meeting the increasing demands and reduce business operational costs.