Energy efficiency has just saved the UK £1.7 billion, but taking the story further is today’s challenge

Energy efficiency has just saved the UK £1.7 billion, but taking the story further is today’s challenge

A new study from The Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) finds the productivity of the UK economy rose by £1.7 billion between 2010 and 2015, as a direct result of energy efficiency investments.

The findings present a telling case for placing efficiency steadfastly at the heart of UK Government energy policy.

ADE Director Dr. Tim Rotheray said: “Like labour, energy is a vital input to the UK economy. Improving our energy productivity allows us to use the same or less energy to contribute more.

“With our commitment to the Paris Agreements and Carbon Budgets, the UK is poised to create a low-carbon, competitive economy, but we must support energy productivity to meet these goals.”

And Andrew Large, CPI Director General, said: “We need to be helping industrial energy users to invest in their long-term productivity, allowing them to deliver increased value for the UK economy for many years to come.”

The resilient, productive UK they both desire shares its ethos with BGES; our lighting and building control systems directly increase energy productivity. And, they also contribute to employee productivity, by creating more comfortable, adaptable, human-centric buildings.

WHY ARE EFFICIENT CONTROL SYSTEMS PIVOTAL TO THE UK’S ENERGY FUTURE?

Greenpeace Chief Scientist Doug Parr has said: “Industrial strategy shouldn’t just be about productivity of the workforce, but productivity of the raw materials like energy.

“Making more out of the energy we have to use in offices and factories will deliver lower imports and lower carbon. So it ought to be a starting point for new infrastructure, and should be a focus of both the Autumn Statement and expected Industrial Strategy.”

“At BGES we are ready to respond, immediately, to this call for making more out of the energy our vital business estates use,” says Gareth Barber, Managing Director, BGES.

“Our solutions directly contribute to saving energy in commercial premises; doing more with less. Plus, we estimate that payback on our overall Building Management Systems (BMS), which can control every aspect of energy, will be as little as 18 months.

“BMS sustainable technologies offer both a cost saving component, an environmental advantage and more controllable temperature and light for happier employees.”

THE STATE OF PLAY TODAY

ADE has found that despite the UK’s energy bill topping £140 billion in 2015, and despite the recent £1.7 billion productivity gains, much more can be done. The efficiency of UK electricity supply still remains broadly unchanged, improving only 2% overall in the last 5 years.

ADE says Government data shows that without progress, the UK will miss its 2030 Carbon Budgets. Current energy efficiency policies are only able to deliver half of the required steps to decarbonisation.

“ADE’s audit proves the UK lags far behind many of its European peers in terms of progress on energy efficiency policies,” says Barber. “According to expert views, Germany, the Netherlands and France have all adopted significantly better policies than the UK since 2011.

“I want to help our government change this, and incentivise the very best type of sustainable growth, by continuing to hasten the uptake of BGES control systems, saving more energy in this crucial arena.”

BGES is an ‘open systems house’ building controls specialist, with extensive experience as a Niagra Systems, Tridium, Honeywell, Delta and Trend Controls integrator. Contact us for advice on how intelligent building controls can improve your energy efficiency.