Sharpening the focus
December 1st 2006 Alan Aldridge, Executive Director of the Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) explains the reasons behind the association's re-branding
The need to save energy and reduce pollution (especially of greenhouse gases) is now centre stage of the political and business agendas.The EU is due to introduce a new 'energy package'of measures to address the security of supply and climate changes issues in early 2007. Here in the UK, a Climate Change Bill was announced in the Queen's Speech last November.
And while business and the public sector will still be expected to lead the way, it is becoming clear that the domestic consumer will also have to take heed – there are even suggestions from Government that individuals will be given their own carbon budgets.Despite the Kyoto Protocol, the Emissions Trading Scheme and the Framework Convention on Climate Change, emissions of greenhouse gases are still rising and politicians are looking for ways to tackle this.
One of the most recent pieces of European legislation, which should be transposed into UK legislation over the next two years, is the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive.'Energy services' is a concept that has been discussed for some time, but today it is being taken seriously.At its heart is the acceptance that people do not want to buy energy: they want the benefits that come from energy.That means heating, refrigeration, lighting, etc.And they want these benefits for least cost – both financially and environmentally.Now least cost overall may involve fitting insulation, installing metering, performing regular energy management, or a host of other things. For many people, the nuts and bolts of energy management are not core parts of their operations. Energy management today is more about management and less about engineering.
Increasingly, energy and facilities managers look to external providers to ensure that they get the maximum productive effort from every pound they spend on energy.
For some organisations, this means using consultancies to identify priorities and source equipment. For others, it may involve a bureau service and for others again, an outsourced FM or energy management contract.
The common element to all these options is the need for accurate information, effective expertise and proven technology.
But where do they get the information and the expertise they need? ESTA has a reputation built up over the years, but – particularly for new people coming into energy and facilities management – the name Energy Systems Trade Association may not indicate the breadth and depth of the expertise available to them.The market has changed a great deal since ESTA was formed over 20 years ago.The Association has changed with it: today many of its members are themselves parts of global industrial groupings and many of their customers are, likewise, major organisations with energy bills running to millions of pounds.
ESTA has changed to match the needs of the market: its aim has remained the same but the specific services its members provide to customers have mirrored both the changes in demands and the rapid development of microprocessordriven technologies. So as of 1 January, ESTA itself underwent something of a rebranding to become the Energy Services and Technology Association – or ESTA.
In other words, the core service remains the same, but the new name focuses more closely on today's marketplace and the need to provide energy services, be those advice, products or operational expertise.The market is still developing and ESTA is too.The change of name is part of a new strategy to respond even more effectively and flexibly to developing market needs.
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