P24-25 Green Energy:Layout 1 23/06/2021 17:18 Page 24 Green Energy
Rewired for change ‘Prosumers’ & the fast track to energy efficiency
As the government pledges a ‘green recovery’ to lead Britain out of the coronavirus crisis, the end of lockdown offers an impetus for companies to ramp up their sustainability goals – particularly with latest data showing reduced economic activity has inadvertently been a boon for the environment.
W
ith this comes a renewed focus on energy efficiency, as the next amendment of the wiring regulations, due in spring 2022, is likely to introduce the concept of Prosumers
Electrical Installations (PEI) to the UK, concerned with how businesses and individuals can both produce and consume energy. Here, Michael Kenyon, technical lead at Bureau Veritas, gives his expert advice on how companies can implement energy efficiency ‘prosumer’ initiatives that will not only help them meet their environmental obligations but as a bonus offer huge cost savings. In April, the UK government announced radical new climate change commitments which will put the nation on course to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035 – bringing forward the current target by 15 years. Unsurprisingly, this much more ambitious target comes at a time when latest data shows reduced economic activity during the pandemic has inadvertently been a boon for the environment. In fact, figures from The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial
Strategy (BEIS) total greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions were recorded at 48.8% lower than they were in 1990, effectively meaning that the UK is almost halfway to its net-zero target for 2050.
24 | electrical wholesaler July 2021 Michael Kenyon Yet the picture is wholly different when it comes to energy efficiency.
According to the International Energy Agency, global progress toward energy efficiency has slowed to its lowest rate in 10 years due the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing a setback to efforts to curb climate change. This adverse impact on energy efficiency is largely down to emptier flights and public transport, cheaper fuel, stalled retrofits for home and building insulation upgrades and smart meter installation as well as slower car sales due to mobility restrictions. However, with 21 June and the end of coronavirus restrictions fast approaching, energy efficiency should feature high on the list of business priorities – not least of which because energy efficiency delivers more than 40% of the reduction in energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Faced with the opportunity to ‘build back better’, for many businesses the end of the lockdown brings with it rising pressure to ramp up their sustainability goals, with a robust energy efficiency strategy that can deliver. This is not just because of COP26, but also a growing expectation from consumers that businesses are invested in building a braver, better world. So how can businesses do this?
ewnews.co.uk
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