reducing energy consumption
Promoting the cost-saving
benefits of carbon reduction
Incentives and persuasion could prove a more effective
route than the Carbon Reduction Commitment
Saving energy is unquestionably a good thing. Every source of energy has a financial
cost in terms of its generation, production, storage and distribution, so cutting back
on energy consumption must save the user money. If that user is a conventional
business, the saving will be reflected in lower operating costs and a greater contribution
to the bottom line. For a public sector body or a not-for-profit organisation, the cost
reduction frees up additional revenue which can be applied to front line services.
That argument is simple and direct. It can be services simply to sustain their revenues. Give
understood by anyone competent enough to them a clear-cut opportunity to reduce their
exercise stewardship over the assets of an overheads and they will react positively.
enterprise whatever its status or constitution. Make it seem, however, that their energy-
Monetary reward is a sufficient incentive to saving endeavours are primarily to reduce cli-
ensure that lights are switched off at night, mate change, and the response is predictable:
that the timers on boilers are set correctly, that why should they invest in carbon reduction
power supplies are set to the optimum volt- measures which are separate from or in addi-
age level. tion to those necessary to keep them in busi-
Immediately terms like global warming and ness? Controlling climate change for its own
climate change and greenhouse gas are sake may be a good idea for the future, but don’t
brought into the discussion, the waters start to make it the reason for involvement today.
become muddied. There is no doubt a con- There is a not dissimilar hurdle to be cleared
nection between carbon emissions pumped in the public sector. Persuade staff and man-
into the atmosphere across the world and spe- agement that saving energy is a powerful way
cific aspects of the climate. of reducing the impact of public spending cuts,
Rather less certain is the quantitative rela- and there is a one-for-one reason for them to
tionship between each tonne of those emis- take action. There is rather less room for pur-
sions and any climatic change that can be suing the high ideals of limiting climate
attributed to it. Forecasts of that impact vary change when services are being cut, jobs are
enormously: it is inevitably the uncorroborated on the line, and living standards are falling.
over-estimates which make the news head-
lines.
We have been living in uncertain times. Un-
Political gestures
employment is at a cyclical peak, the UK But we cannot expect a government which is
economy is still in recession on the narrow posturing to secure prominence on the world
definition applied by the government, and energy stage to grasp that point. Political ges-
executives in the private sector have had to tures around climate change intended to show
conceive ever more creative solutions and that the UK is setting an example to the world
10
The Informed Executive
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