Be Eco Friendly

There are undoubtedly 101 ways UK small businesses can save energy and lower their costs. But just how significant would it be if SMEs increased their energy efficiency?

According to the Carbon Trust, UK SMEs account for 45 per cent of business energyusage and, says Harry Morrison, general manager of the Carbon Trust Standard Company, UK SMEs have the greatest potential for on energy: 20 per cent compared to eight per cent for larger organisations.

“That means that when added together, the potential for savings by SMEs could be up to £1.1 billion,” says Morrison.

The truth about UK small business energy consumption

The bad news, however, is that the big majority of UK small businesses are missing out on savings because they are not aware of energy efficiency solutions that can save them money and lower their environmental impact. Perhaps because engineering companies devising energy saving solutions for the workplace are not good at communicating with small business.

Read more: http://www.greenwisebusiness.co.uk/news/101-ways-uk-small-businesses-can-save-energy-and-lower-their-costs-2841.aspx

The UK has climbed to third in a global league table of green buildings, according to a major new report from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) that highlights Norway and Brazil as the two countries that have made the greatest progress towards developing a zero-carbon built environment.

The 2009 RICS Global Zero Carbon Capacity Index draws on data from the International Energy Agency to analyse the energy efficiency of households, offices and domestic transport, as well as investments in renewable energy and the development of effective policies for promoting low-carbon buildings.

The report concludes that the UK has climbed one place in the index to third, primarily as a result of policy improvements such as government targets for zero-carbon homes and introduction of the new Code for Sustainable Homes.

Read full article: http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2266642/uk-takes-bronze-green-building

The UK’s low carbon market defied the recession throughout 2009, exceeding expectations to grow 4.3 per cent during the year to £112bn, according to new figures to be released later today.

Read more: http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2259303/uk-low-carbon-market-defies

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What they don’t tell you: The transport of goods accounts for a small but significant proportion of the human impact on the climate. It generally makes environmental sense, therefore, to favour local food and other products.

However, it’s not always true that local is best. One study suggested that lamb from New Zealand, with its clean energy and rich pastures, has a lower footprint when consumed in the UK than locally produced lamb, despite the long-distance shipping.

Another study showed that cut flowers sold in Britain that had been grown in distant but sunny Kenya had a smaller carbon footprint than those grown in heated greenhouses in Holland.

So while transport is important, it’s not the only factor to consider.

via Top 10 green living myths | Duncan Clark | Environment | guardian.co.uk.

What they don’t tell you: Various electricity companies promise to provide customers with power from renewable sources. This gives the impression that by signing up you’ll be increasing the amount of clean electricity being produced.

The truth is rather more complex. The government requires a certain proportion of UK electricity to come from renewable sources. If an electricity company exceeds this target by generating most or all of its power from renewables it can sell its extra green electricity credits to other companies which in turn can avoid producing any green power themselves.

The net effect is that not very much changes. That’s not to say don’t sign up, but if you do use a green power supplier don’t expect your electricity to suddenly be carbon-neutral, no matter what the adverts suggest.

via Top 10 green living myths | Duncan Clark | Environment | guardian.co.uk.

What they don’t tell you: Choosing highly energy-efficient appliances is one good way to ensure that routine tasks such as dishwashing and laundry don’t create more carbon pollution than necessary.

But there are other ways, too, such as simply running your machines at night. In the daytime, when electricity consumption is at its highest, the dirtiest, least efficient power stations are rolled out to help meet peak demand.

At night, when demand is lower, these power stations can be switched off, which means that each unit of electricity has a lower carbon footprint.

Turning your washing machine and dishwasher on before you go to bed therefore shaves a little off your carbon footprint by “spreading the load” on the electricity grid – though the difference isn't as huge as some websites have claimed.

via Top 10 green living myths | Duncan Clark | Environment | guardian.co.uk.

What they don’t tell you: It’s not just how much water you boil that determines the carbon footprint of your tea or coffee, but also the type of kettle you use. Jug kettles are fast and convenient, but their fuel – electricity from the national grid – produces almost three times more greenhouse gas for each unit of heat than burning gas in the home does.

Hence switching to a stove-top kettle on a gas cooker will usually reduce emissions – especially in colder months when any heat from the flames that escapes around the side of the kettle will warm the room, reducing the burden on the central heating system.

via Top 10 green living myths | Duncan Clark | Environment | guardian.co.uk.