Next month the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is sponsoring an energy efficiency award at London’s Energy Management Exhibition (EMEX).
The Secretary of State, Amber Rudd, and I want to ensure the Department and its policies support an economy in which British businesses can thrive, whilst ensuring we take action to tackle the threat of climate change. Helping businesses manage their energy use and celebrating best practice must be at the heart of achieving these goals.
This is genuinely a win-win opportunity. Cutting out avoidable waste through energy efficiency can stimulate growth and improve productivity, cut the cost of energy bills and enhance energy security. It makes business sense to look at all overheads and see where these can be reduced.
For example, the Chinese Contemporary Arts Centre, in Manchester, is saving £4,363 and 17.6 tonnes of CO2e a year, and all they had to do to realise this was install a £100 timer to their existing heating system.
Already British businesses are making good progress in improving efficiency, but there is more to do. Some of the most exciting developments on this agenda are those which businesses have chosen to lead and drive forward.
Where businesses are demonstrating leadership through action, the Government is delighted to celebrate best practice and help spread the message. We know it is not only Government policies which encourage businesses to act; knowing competitors are taking action and reaping the benefits of doing so can be a very powerful incentive.
That is why at this year’s conference, DECC has partnered with the Energy Managers Association to sponsor the “Energy Reduction Project through Organisational Behaviour Change of the Year” Award. The Award is a great opportunity for British businesses to boost their profile, celebrate success and demonstrate how they are using energy efficiency measures to drive a positive commercial impact.
Awards like this help to raise workforce awareness of the importance of energy management – we want businesses to embed it in their operational model.
The closing date for entrants to the Award is 4th November. For more information please visit the EMA 2015 awards website.
And please don’t miss your opportunity to respond to the Government’s consultation on reforming the business energy efficiency tax landscape, which closes on 9 November 2015. The consultation is the first step towards simplifying and improving the effectiveness of the business energy efficiency landscape, which is at the heart of the Government’s objectives on managing bills, driving productivity, ensuring security of energy supplies and delivering cost-effective decarbonisation.