Feature Why It Pays To Have
An Informed Approach To Net Zero
By Anthony Ainsworth, COO at npower Business Solutions
Many organisations are facing increasingly challenging times, particularly when it comes to navigating the uncertainty we’ve seen in the wholesale energy markets over the last two years. Indeed, according to our latest Business Energy Tracker1
report, energy is the top risk that businesses are facing for the second year in a row, and it is now a board-level issue for more than 90% of the large organisations we surveyed.
In October 2022, gloomy forecasts resulted in an unprecedented intervention from the government in the form of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) to help businesses navigate the winter, a six month initiative that was replaced by the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) on 1 April 2023. While it is welcome that businesses are still receiving some support,
for most -
i.e. those that are not classed as ‘Energy and Trade Intensive Industries’ - it will be at a much lower level.
As a result, during times when competition for capital investment is high, many organisations will be reassessing whether investing in sustainability measures is the best use of their budget.
However, we would argue that the need to manage energy in the most effective way has never been more important. That is why it pays for facilities managers to have an informed approach to net zero.
Keeping A Focus On Net Zero
Encouragingly, the Business Energy Tracker showed that businesses are becoming increasingly proactive when it comes to managing energy risk, with net zero and sustainability investments recognised as a crucial way to take control and mitigate the risks posed by the volatile energy market.
In fact, sustainability measures are now the top investment priority for businesses - up from second place in 2022 - with almost two thirds (60%) of respondents saying it would be their number one priority this year. It is clear that businesses recognise the increased resilience these measures can bring, while also contributing to their overall decarbonisation targets.
Resilience is the key word here. When asked about the main benefits to their business from a proactive approach to net zero, greater resiliency through saving money and carbon retained the top position, with almost half (48%) of organisations saying this was the main benefit, up from 33% in 2022.
So, what steps should facilities managers take to ensure that any sustainability measures implemented achieve the best results and maximum return on investment?
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