Staff at Blaby District Council have taken on the challenge of cutting their energy use by 10 per cent over the next six months.

The project, called Time 4 Change, is aimed at getting council officers to constantly review their own energy usage to bring about a long term shift in behaviour which could save the authority more than £12,000 a year and drastically reduce its carbon footprint.

An energy efficiency team made up of staff from several departments will monitor electricity use across all the Council’s buildings and work with individuals to meet the 10 per cent target by February 2011.

Councillor Guy Jackson, portfolio holder for the natural environment said:

We have set ourselves an ambitious target but if we all work together I’m confident it can be achieved. Cutting energy use is more important than ever because, like everyone else in the public sector, we have a big budget gap to fill over the next few years and small changes in behaviour, like making sure appliances are turned off, can make a big difference.

The Council have already installed a combined heat and power system at Enderby Leisure Centre which will recycle the heat produced when generating electricity to maintain the temperature of the swimming pool.

The carbon trust has estimated that this new system could save a massive 352 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year with a potential financial saving of £42,000 annually.

(Blaby are using the GAIA three steps approach to achive energy reductions)

http://www.blaby.gov.uk/ccm/content/news-and-information/press-releases/2010/08/council-staff-vow-to-cut-carbon-and-save-cash.en

Posted in Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work - Offices | No Comments »

Large offices with multiple light switches are a classic energy hungry environment. The first person in will turn on all the lights as they have no idea which switch turns on the light over their desk. The lights are likely to remain on all day – even when it’s light and bright inside in late morning and early afternoon.

With lighting accounting for up 40% of your electricity bill a simple label next to each switch can instantly make a difference for little or no cost. It also begins selling an energy saving message encouraging further initiatives by employees.

Gaia Active works with businesses to drive down and control energy consumption. If you would like to hear more about how we can help your business, feel free to call us on 02476 236446 or email enquiries@gaiaactive.com.

Posted in Energy Saving Tips, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work | 1 Comment »

One common misconception in energy efficiency is that a modern factory with modern machinery is energy efficient. Overall it will be much better then an old factory with old kit, but that does not mean it is as efficient as it could be.

Why is this? Well the key missing ingredient is staff behaviour.

Many companies run energy saving campaigns in small groups rarely interacting with the staff around them. If they do communicate their plans they often fail to achieve employee buy in.

It is important to get staff buy in as they are the ones interacting with your machinery on a daily basis. So if they leave machinery on idle or heating to early this all contributes to energy wastage.

For Tips on How to Make Energy Saving most effective read our Top Tips Page Here.

Posted in CRC Carbon Reduction Commitment, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work - Manufacturers, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work - Offices | No Comments »

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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In summer, use fans wherever possible instead of air conditioning and ventilate at night this way when practical. Using fans with air con allows you to raise the thermostat temperature, using less energy. In addition, fans cost far less to buy and run than air conditioning units.

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One of the greatest challenges for businesses is engaging their staff within the energy saving program. When achieved the next challenge is to sustain these messages.

Our 5 top tips to create a sustainable energy saving message:

1) Create a team to lead the initiative from diverse parts of your business.

2) Identify good ‘connectors’ people who are good at selling messages within a business.

3) Ensure energy consumption is part of the regular management meeting agenda.

4) Use the energy data visually – print of weekly reports and display on a notice board.

5) Broaden the project within a wider Corporate Social Responsibility project or within ISO14001. This increases the likelihood of longevity.

GAIA

www.gaiaactive.com

See how you can save with GAIA: Get a FREE energy evaluation.

Posted in Energy Saving Tips, Energy Saving and Efficiency at School or College, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work - Hotels, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work - Manufacturers, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work - Offices | No Comments »

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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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.

Posted in Energy Saving Tips, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work | 2 Comments »

By focusing on staff behaviour of energy efficiency Melton Mowbray Building Society (MMBS) have pushed down energy consumption at Head Office by 20% over the past 6 months.

Working alongside GAIA, MMBS have identified how to engage their staff towards a business goal that cuts consumption. Their success underlines the opportunity for all businesses irrespective of business or premises type to save energy with GAIA.

Read More: Melton Mowbray Building Society – Case Study

Read More:  The GAIA System

GAIA

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Following on from the Isles of Scilly earlier this month it is now the turn of Leicestershire to take on the Big Switch Off.

The initiative, which lasts for one week, aims to reduce energy consumption by turning off lights and unused appliances.

Homes, businesses, schools and community groups are involved and the results will be monitored by the local energy network.

If you are taking part and need some advice on how to save energy call GAIA on 02476 236446. We have a range of FREE resources that may help.

Posted in Domestic Energy Efficiency, Energy Saving Tips, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work - Manufacturers, Energy Saving and Efficiency at Work - Offices, FREE DOWNLOADS | 6 Comments »