GAIA Active – Energy Advisory Firm of the Year

March 4th, 2010

Energy Advisory Firm of the Year:     Winner GAIA Active

GAIA are thrilled to have won the Rosenblatt Energy Advisory Firm of the Year Award for 2010.

The Rosenblatt New Energy Awards is a prestigious event in the renewable energy/efficiency sector and we were up against strong competition from companies such as KPMG and Liquid Capital Group.

Thank You to Our Customers

A huge Thank You to those customers who submitted their Case Studies on behalf of  GAIA for the Rosenblatt New Energy Awards 2010. Winning Awards that are backed by Customer Case Studies are of the greatest value to GAIA and we thank you for your support.

About the Awards

The Rosenblatt New Energy Awards is a lavish event in the renewable/ energy efficiency sector. With a keynote speech from Dan Epstein, head of sustainability at the Olympic Delivery Authority, the awards recognise the achievements of management teams, companies and projects that have made a significant contribution to this sector during the previous 12 months.

Click here to see all Rosenblatt Winners 2010

GAIA March 2010

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Energy Saving at Work – Tip (no 39) – Leave the PC running!

March 1st, 2010

Computer monitors use twice the energy of the PC itself.  If the computer cannot be turned off, them turn off the monitor.

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Energy Saving in the Workplace – Tip (no 21) Air conditioning and heating

February 26th, 2010

Avoid the battle between air conditioning and heating.

Check that heating and air conditioning do not come on together. This is a common mistake whereby companies turn on heating in the morning after cold night but a sunny day follows over heating the building and setting off air conditioning units.

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Are the Tories really ‘Green’?

February 24th, 2010

We may  find out how ‘Green’ the Conservative Party really is  when the amendment of the Governments Energy Bill is voted on in the Commons today.

The amendment asks for Energy Companies to meet an emissions standard, effectively restricting them from ever increasing their greenhouse gas emissions. Greenpeace fear that, without restrictions like these the Energy Companies can keep on emitting from old power station for years to come.

The Guardian today has reported that the Conservative Party has not imposed the three line whip so MPs can abstain from the amendment, effectively joining the Labour rebels against the Governments plan. So effectively the Tories vote may reflect the individual views of the party members not the well rehearsed green image they have created.

GAIA Comment:

One of the key obstacles towards the UK moving towards a low carbon economy is lack of clarity from Central Government on what their objectives really are.  Should the Tories form the next Government a concise energy strategy will need to articulated quickly to help businesses and the energy industry adapt. This vote will see how ‘aligned’ the voices are within the party  and whether the potential next Government will provide this clear message.

More Reading The Guardian Article:

GAIA 2010

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Energy Saving at Work – Tip (no 37) – Keep the energy saving message alive!

February 22nd, 2010

Hold an energy awareness meeting, quiz or fun day and invite wider members of your organisation.

For users with the GAIA system print off a copy of your energy data profile once a week and post on to a notice board with. Target the business to reduce kw consumption by 5%. Report back each week on how you have done.

More tips here:

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Low Carbon Event for Manufactu…

February 10th, 2010

Low Carbon Event for Manufacturers in Leicestershire: http://www.mas-em.org.uk/events/low-carbon-initiative-access-meeting-1

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Customer Question: Should I put in Sub Meters?

February 10th, 2010

One of the great red herrings in Energy Efficiency is that more meters provide more information. More meters will obviously provide more data, but if the data adds little to your current activities then the expenditure is unnecessary.

GAIA often meet businesses who have understandably fallen into this trap. They proudly show us their Energy Monitoring System but when questioned can’t really interpret what it is saying or more importantly make sensible actions from it.

It seems anyone can easily fall into a ‘data overload’ whereby you can see everything but action little.

Here’s our 5 top tips on Sub Metering.

  • If legislation requires you to have sub metering or even smart metering consider first what is necessary to comply first.
  • With legal compliance out of the way then consider for each site or area what is the ‘variable’ energy consumption is each area. Variable energy is consumption you can have influence over managing. Then rank each site by this criteria. Consider both the machinery and human matters when ranking these.
  • Think actions not data. e.g: What can this tell me if I meter it?  You don’t want a new job analysing data feeds that will not help you make change.
  • Remember the key route to sustainable Energy Saving is staff behaviour and education. Will your sub metering data help you do this?
  • Clarify and Re-Clarify  your Goal at the start with your Senior Colleagues. Are you doing this to save money,  meet legislative requirements, help the business expand or demonstrate a competitive edge over competitors. Which ever you choose will have a significant impact on the investment you undertake and will avoid time wasting.

GAIA February 2010

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Energy Saving Tip: Do you know…

February 9th, 2010

Energy Saving Tip: Do you know your energy profile? http://www.gaiaactive.com/wordpress/?p=300

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Helping a Food Manufacturer to…

February 9th, 2010

Helping a Food Manufacturer to meet CRC obligations today.

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Energy Crisis: As the cliff face approaches why are we dithering?

February 5th, 2010

Yet again the fear over UK Energy Security has raised to the top of the public agenda, but why is it that we continue to dither over solving this problem?

This is not a new problem it has been round for decades, the only issue is that the impact of our dithering may now be felt within months.

Rumours of bills rising by 20% and possible energy shortages will have a greater significance on our digital/internet economy than in previous years due to so much of our every day lives needing continuous power. Many companies will be completely unable to function.

Communicating the need to Conserve & Protect Energy Resources:

We in the UK are going to have to accept a new way of generating energy locally. The primary way to enable better energy efficiency is having it produced within the areas of consumption, thus reducing the vast wastage in the transmission process. This would mean areas such as the East Midlands becoming more self sustaining on its own power.

Decentralised energy forms part of the national plan but is rarely discussed openly in the media.  Therefore it is the duty of local Politicians to argue the right means to resource our local energy offering a simple choices e.g: a Wind Farms in the Countryside or some Nuclear Plants closer by within your local area.

Article: Fears Over Power Shortages BBC News Feb 2010

GAIA February 2010 (Article by Haydn)

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