Higher prices energise the fuel debate

TAC UK says the prospect of seeing energy bills rising by as much as 60 per cent is going to push conservation to the top of the agenda of most businesses and organisations.

The rising costs of fuel should be excellent news for the environment, an energy conservation expert has claimed.

Building control specialist TAC UK says the prospect of seeing energy bills rising by as much as 60 per cent is going to push conservation to the top of the agenda of most businesses and organisations.

Consumer petrol costs have risen above GBP1 a litre, which will have knock-on effects throughout the entire market.

In America, petrol prices have forced the rate of inflation to rise - in a single month this summer, the average price of energy rose by four per cent and looks set to continue to rocket.

It is not just consumers who will feel the squeeze, though - the ripples will be felt in the business world as well.

Industry will be forced to address the way it uses energy or face the prospect of massively increased overheads in coming years.

Even the smallest companies emit 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, and waste 30 per cent of the energy that they use, leaving a lot of room for improvement.

However, the message seems to be getting across successfully - TAC UK recently exhibited at the Energy 2005 Exhibition at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull and reported a growing interest from companies looking for ways to cut their bills.

TAC UK's Energy Solutions business development manager Colin Russell, who gave a lecture on energy-saving tips at the show, said: "In the past, it has not been necessary for businesses to take an environmentally friendly approach to energy consumption, as they have been able to negotiate cheaper tariffs from their supplier instead of looking for practical ways to save energy.

Now, though, this is simply not possible as the basic cost of energy is going through the roof.

"The good news, though, is that it will finally see companies taking their energy use and their general corporate social responsibility seriously.

Most businesses could easily cut around 20 per cent off their energy bills by taking a few simple measures.

"Just from the enquiries we were getting at the Energy 2005 show, you could tell that this is an issue that people are starting to take very seriously indeed.

Although at TAC UK we work closely with companies looking to seriously reduce their running costs, it is possible to make a good start without any capital expenditure.

Once people start putting their plans into action we will start seeing some genuine benefits for the environment." Russell said most of the energy-saving tips were general common sense - based on principles that people have at home but do not bring with them to the workplace, including: .

"Making sure air conditioning systems are not competing with heating systems or with open windows.

" Check that all non-essential plant is turned off, in moth-balled buildings for example.

" Undertake an energy audit.

Many facilities and plant managers do not know what their energy spend is as bills go straight to accounts for payment.

Without measurement of current consumption, there is no base from which to measure improvement, so this should be the starting point.

" Carry out an industry benchmark to establish how your company is performing against a national average.

" Once you have established the current energy use, establish realistic time and financial targets.

Firstly go for the 'low-hanging fruit' - fine tuning the building temperature for example.

If you cool your building by one degree too much, it consumes two to three per cent more electricity while one degree too much heating wastes eight per cent of fuel.

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