GAIA’s thrilled to be a finalist in the FSB Small Business Awards for for the Environmental Responsibility Category.
The Winners will be announced next week at the FSB Awards Gala in Leicestershire. The GAIA team are crossing their fingers!
We were thrilled to become runners up and hope to win outright in 2011.
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Last week I was in a newly built car park in the Midlands and noticed some new bays for Electric cars offering ‘free’ power charging. Free energy, just imagine being offered free Petrol. This sound like a very good deal for shoppers.
The question is: Is this a good intention to encourage the use of electric cars (the bays may well have been imposed to get planning permission) or a greenwash intention in the hope that it will never be used?
GAIA (Haydn)
Part 2: Green Wash is now a Car Wash
Well it seems the free energy has not caught on. Maybe they were hoping for a sudden flurry of customers eager to buy an electric car just to charger it at their car park. Anyway now it is a nice and shiny new ‘green’ Car Wash..
The easy answer is NO. Expecting AMR to automatically save money is like asking ‘will buying some running shoes help me be a marathon runner’. Having the tools is only the start.
AMR and Smart Metering will open up a world of information for companies to grasp on and save energy, but unless they know what to do with it or know what to look for it is just data. In fact assuming that ‘more’ information is better than what you already have is also a red herring. More information is only good so long as it offers detail that enables actions you could not have envisaged before, otherwise it is just sub sets of what you already know.
Too often we meet companines in a state of data paralasis who monitor everything but don’t really know what it means or what to do.
If you are considering AMR or Smart Metering feel free to call GAIA for help. We don’t sell these devises – we help companies save money by using them effectively. Call us on 024 76 23 6446.
GAIA May 2010
On the of the skills of any Energy Saving message is to ‘connect’ with your audience. The message has to say to the recipient what’s it for them and why they will benefit from adhering to the action required.
To do this all Energy Saving Campaigns need to develop a business wide Compelling Message and tag line. The tag line then should be used to remind staff why their action can make a difference.
More: How to write a Compelling Message – Free Checklist
GAIA (Haydn)
For people who have conducted both an (EPC) Energy Performance Certificate and is Display Energy Certificate (DEC) they may discover that the Energy Ratings may differ. The EPC is a survey of the building in terms of efficiency but the DEC is a benchmark of your total energy usage within your property.
The reason for the difference is how we use our energy. Many of the best EPC rated sites have poor DECs as they use energy poorly within them. In other words the building is in good shape but the behaviours inside towards using energy are poor.
GAIA Comment
The only way to ensure strong energy efficiency is to recognise that staff behaviour and education are crucial to your programme. Call GAIA today to find out how we can help you achieve your energy saving goals.
GAIA April 2010
Wow what a turn out to our Behaviour Change Session at Sustainability Live and thank you to so many of you who had to stand up to watch our talk. It is great to see Behaviour Change at the top of the Sustainability Agenda.
As promised, here are the presentation slides for you to read at your leisure. Feel free to call GAIA for guidance on 0800 433 4040.
Click on this link to open: GAIA Active Presentation @ Sustainability Live 2010
GAIA (Haydn)
Three years in to the Display Energy Certificate (DEC) requirements for public buildings the question is ‘have they now demonstrated an effectiveness in reducing energy usage?’
The core need for DEC has to be education of the building owners and managers towards the opportunities to save energy and improve efficiency. More and more of these certificates can now be seen with data showing energy usage over the years so in terms of broad eduction they must be working, but in terms of reductions can we be sure?
Are the implications strong enough to empower building managers to act when they get the new certificate each year or do they see this as a paper exercise to complete?
GAIA April 2010
The other week I was out for the day with my family and was struck by the petrol prices on the forecourt. Only 2 years ago we have blockades and demonstrations about petrol breaking £1.10 but now we are at £1.20 and higher. The question for me here is do these prices influence our behaviour towards using fuel in general?
Clearly with petrol, as opposed to other energy uses like electricity and gas, consumers buy frequently in smaller amounts (what the tank can take) and each time see the price so have many reasons to be reminded about the cost. So you would think that petrol consumption must be directly influenced by price? But is this the case?
Is there a disconnect between the amount in the tank and and the way we use it? When driving do we recognise that how/how much we drive is costing us more. Do we drive slower, reduce revs or cut out the short journeys? The motorways seem as busy as ever. Is there is a lack of ‘connection’ of behaviour towards driving and energy usage?
Luckily, in the workplace we can create this awareness through the GAIA Model of Environmental Impact Reduction, our behavioural change and energy awareness programme, but for cars the problem may be better information on the impact of consumption on driving.
GAIA April 2010 (Haydn)
As the UK pushes on for more renewable energy production the battle over Wind Turbines can only increase. It seems wherever they are proposed they face local opposition so why is this not the case for Windmills?
The difference between a Wind Turbine and a Windmill in terms of local feelings is huge. Windmills are loved and savoured by locals often turned into homes, museums or made in tourist attractions. They are part of our heritage a throw back to the days before electricity when energy had to be created locally. But Wind Turbines, a modern version fulfilling the same energy giving need are not welcome.
It is purely that we have become accustomed to others creating the power elsewhere or that Wind Turbines could be come more acceptable if they were made to look more ‘cute’ with doors and windows inside?
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 April 2010
