Time to grasp the opportunity
October 1st 2006 Alan Aldridge, Executive Director of the Energy Systems Trade Association (ESTA) argues that rising energy prices are making an even stronger case for investments in energy efficiency As the heating season begins and the clocks change, monthly energy bills will inevitably start to rise and the finance department will be wondering why they are so much higher than last year – possibly resulting in questions being directed towards the energy manager.The silver lining on this cloud is that energy efficiency investments are becoming much easier to justify financially. The benefits of investing in energy efficiency projects are becoming ever clearer and the business case even stronger. Whether couched in terms of money-saving or emissions reductions, the introduction of better control over the way energy is used is surely a win-win situation. Identifying the best options will be a matter for each individual organisation; each will have its own investment history, existing systems and current efficiency levels. However, as ESTA has demonstrated with the Government's own energy software – the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM) – some technologies can be particularly effective at reducing emissions and bills. Five key areas can cut significant amounts off the energy bill: automatic Monitoring and Targeting (aM&T); zone and boiler controls; lighting controls; power factor correction; and the use of variable speed drives on machinery (including variable air volume air conditioning systems).This 'five star' approach to energy management will be the focus of ESTA's autumn series of free, one-day conferences. Calculations using the SBEM software indicate that effective implementation of just these five technologies can save up to 20% of energy consumption in existing buildings. The presentations at the autumn conferences will demonstrate how these technologies can help organisations meet the emissions targets imposed by the Building Regulations on both new and refurbished buildings. For those involved in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, or one of the UK's Climate Change Agreements, the need to continually improve performance makes a consideration of these options essential. There are also a growing number of companies that are committed to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. Effective environmental management is one of the key components of such policies – and one of the easier to implement for those with a history of successful energy management.Efforts to combat climate change through emissions mitigation activities are attracting close attention from shareholder groups, from pension funds to environmental activists. And it should be remembered that when the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is finally fully implemented, buildings will need to have an energy rating certificate. It is clearly quite possible that energy prices will continue to rise over the coming months and years – but little in this world is certain.With the business case for investment in energy efficiency much stronger now than it has been for many years, it makes sense to strike while the iron is hot and persuade senior managers of the economic and environmental wisdom of installing these technologies now rather than later.That way much of the work needed to obtain a good energy rating will have been completed well in advance of the Government finally meeting its legal obligations.And of course,by then, it may be possible to win backing for further improvements. With energy prices high today, the opportunity to push the case for energy management options should not be squandered.The autumn conferences will provide the information to help energy managers formulate their proposals. Energy prices over the winter should help do the rest. More articles from ESTA: | 
