As resources become scarce, the price rises; this is reflected in the rapidly increasing cost of our fuel, gas and electricity bill.

The following graphs show the increase in gas and electricity prices and the rapid rise in the price of liquid fuels.

Many companies think of energy as a fixed overhead but saving energy is actually one of the easiest ways to reduce costs and improve your reputation.

The climate of the Earth is not static and has changed many times over the billions of years of its existence.

There are certain gases that have a major influence on the Earth's energy balance, these are known as ‘greenhouse gases' and include carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane and nitrous oxide. These greenhouse gases trap some of the energy reflected off the Earth and prevent it from escaping out to space, causing the atmosphere to warm.

Recently the climate has been changing in unexpected ways and at an unexpected rate. Some examples of these changes are given below:

Global trends in the 20th century

• Average global temperatures increased by 0.6oC
• Sea-levels rose by 20cm
• A near worldwide decrease in sea-ice and mountain glacier extent was experienced

UK trends

• The UK is warmer now than at any time in the past 200 years.
• The 1990s was the hottest decade, in the warmest century, for the last millennium.
• Nine of the 10 warmest years on record were between 1995 and 2004.
• The hottest day ever recorded in the UK was on the 10 August 2003 when temperatures in Brogdale, Kent, reached 38.5 oC.
• July 2006 was hottest since records began.

Not all of these changes can be individually attributed to the natural climate variation described above. Over the last 200-250 years, since the industrial revolution, human activities have resulted in an increase in the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Atmospheric carbon dioxide alone has increased by 30% in this time and levels are currently at their highest for 800,000 years. Increased levels of greenhouse gases mean that more heat is trapped by the atmosphere, enhancing the greenhouse effect and causing the Earth to warm and the climate to change.

Human activities are increasing the levels of all greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 6.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide are emitted annually from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas for energy production, transport and industrial processes.

The graph below shows the CO² concentration in the atmosphere form ice cores and atmospheric measurements.

Consequences

Increasing global temperature is expected to cause sea levels to rise, an increase in the intensity of extreme weather events, and significant changes to the amount and pattern of precipitation, likely leading to an expanse of tropical areas and increased pace of desertification. Other expected effects of global warming include changes in agricultural yields, modifications of trade routes, glacier retreat, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.

There are many political drivers behind our need to improve our energy efficiency:

• Kyoto agreement - a protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of reducing greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
  
  
• Climate Change Levy – a UK tax on energy delivered to non-domestic users in the United Kingdom.
  
  
• The forthcoming Climate Change bill will mandate the reduction of UK carbon dioxide emissions through domestic and international action by at least 60 per cent by 2050 and at least 26 per cent by 2020 with progressively tighter 5 year budgets.
  
  
• Increasing taxes on energy and increasing financial support for clean energy.
  
  
• Building regulations – higher levels of insulation are now required and many local authorities require a percentage of the buildings energy requirements to come from renewable resources. By 2016 the government's target is for all new homes to be built to zero-carbon standards.

To cushion us from energy price rises, the uneven distribution of energy supplies, security threats, natural disasters and political instability it is increasingly important for us all to be as energy secure as we can. Currently the UK’s energy supplies depend heavily upon importing expensive and ever scarcer fuels from a few unstable and even hostile regions.
Developing your own supply of energy gives you greater independence and means you are less vulnerable to national or international pressures.

When undertaking an energy efficiency audit for the first time the critical points to remember are:

STEP 1 - Appoint a responsible person – an ‘energy champion’ can be you, your partner or an employee – if you don’t make somebody responsible no action will happen!

STEP 2 - Measure and monitor – ‘you don’t know where your going until you know where you’ve been!’ The only way to truly gauge the effectiveness of efficiency activities is to measure use before and after implementation. Read and record utility meters, fuel stocks and deliveries at least every month, ideally every week.

STEP 3 - Rationalise and allocate – relate expenditure to activities and equipment

STEP 4 - Inspect all equipment – look at age, methods of control and operation.

STEP 5 - Inspect buildings and structures - e.g. lighting, heating systems and control, insulation and heat loss (gain) control.

STEP 6 - Develop an action plan - pinpoint where savings and efficiences can be made, and list them as long, medium and short term actions. Actions may range from ensuring items are switched off, buying new efficient items, changing thermostat temperatures and increasing insulation.

For more detail on actions specific to your business / home see:

www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
www.carbontrust.org.uk
www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_parent/housing/energy_efficiency.htm

And for up to date grants to help you with your energy efficiency projects try: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/what_can_i_do_today/energy_saving_grants_and_offers/

STEP 7 – consider sub metering - The only way to monitor changing energy use at an equipment/building level.

• Use cheap kWh meters or hours-run meters
• Use clip-on profile meters

STEP 8 – Review, continue to monitor and calculate savings!

Calculating savings is easy!

Example: a light bulb used for 2000 hours a year - 100w tungsten vs 20w compact flourescent (same light output in lumens)

(100W – 20W) / 1000 x 2000 x 8p = £12.80

New bulb costs £3 = payback of 4 months However If only used for 1 hour a week payback is 8.3 years.