Sustainable renewable energy and utilities efficiency advice and guidance for business
Whatever industry or sector you’re operating in there’s one thing for sure: your business can use less energy and reduce its carbon footprint! You can do this either by reducing the amount of energy you consume, or by generating green energy onsite and installing energy efficient systems and technology. Ideally, we’d look to achieve all three!
Energy efficiency starts with a business utilities audit
Our experienced team will carry out a detailed audit of your building, and the way your business uses its utilities. Once we’ve collected all the information we need, we’ll produce an in-depth report for you. It will give you a prioritised list of cost-effective ways you can cut down on your energy consumption and reduce your utilities overheads.
Cashflow positive investment in green energy or energy efficiency measures
You can reduce energy and water waste by up to 15% without spending a penny on renewables or energy efficiency tech just by changing your people’s behaviour. But to take a real chunk out of your utilities overheads and make a big difference to your CO2 emissions you’ll need to invest financially. And it could take years to feel the financial benefit before the Capex is paid back. We’ll produce a detailed energy efficiency plan which shows how your lower utilities consumption can make a positive contribution to cashflow by the end of Q1 of operation.
We help clients reduce their energy costs, consumption and emissions using our expertise as utility consultants and energy efficiency technology providers.
Energy Saving Technologies
Systems like heating, lighting and air conditioning can account for as much as 75% of your building’s energy use. But it can be easier than you might think to cut these costs substantially.
Many businesses are now discovering the benefits of the latest Business Management Systems (BMS), which use Internet of Things (IOT) technologies. Some of these systems are quite simple, such as sensors that turn off lights when there’s nobody in the room. But they can be quite complex too: imagine your heating system adjusting itself to take account of the number of people in a room, and the warmth their bodies will generate!
Technologies like these are helping to make impressive reductions in energy waste in commercial buildings. Yours could be one of them.
Battery Storage
Battery storage can be a terrific way for businesses to cut their electricity bills. They work by charging up during the cheapest tariff periods, or by storing self-generated electricity. This energy can then be used during peak usage times, or at times when electricity tariffs are at their highest. They can also reduce your dependence on the National Grid.
The Energy Check has a range of battery storage systems to suit businesses of all sizes, many of which can be connected to existing solar, wind and hydro electricity systems.
Combined heat & power (CHP) systems
Around 50% of the coal, gas, or biomass it takes to generate electricity for the national grid is wasted because the heat generated by the power stations is generally lost to the environment – think big cooling towers. An on-site ‘gas engine’ CHP is 80% efficient. One unit can provide all the electricity and heat your building needs, this is called cogeneration. It’s also possible to combine building cooling systems into the one trigeneration unit. Either way, the energy efficiency of CHP technology can make substantial savings in the cost of energy and reduce CO2 emissions.
LED Lighting
LEDs – Light Emitting Diodes – are a super-energy-efficient and reliable form of lighting. Many businesses are already switching to LEDs, as a cost-effective and future-proof investment.
Apart from suggesting that you replace your existing lamps, The Energy Check can also recommend a range of control mechanisms that ensure your lights are switched on only when you need them.
Commercial Solar PV
Solar power systems are quickly gaining popularity with business owners, and it’s easy to understand why. Solar PV systems reduce energy costs, and can even generate income: a commercial premises of sufficient size can generate between 17% and 22% ROI from feed-in tariffs combined with energy bill savings. PV also substantially reduces your carbon footprint – a boost to your green credentials that can be good for business in itself!
Biomass Energy
Biomass boilers can be a great investment for your business. They work by burning wood pellets, logs or animal waste, to provide heating and hot water. Switching to a biomass boiler can give your business a huge saving of up to 50% on fuel costs, and will cut your CO2 emissions by 100%! What’s more, it takes no time at all to pay for itself: with a payback period of as little as 2 years, a biomass system could be the perfect investment for your business.
Water conservation & onsite bore holes
There’s not a year goes by without reports of reserviors running low, or even drying up altogether. Onsite water conservation measures can make a big diference, especially if you’ve a high level of water consumption. Grey water recycling and rain water harvesting will reduce reliance on mains water. Where feasible, water self sufficiency can be achieved with a water bore hole.
Heat Pumps
Using ambient heat from either the outside air, or ground source, heat pumps are a highly efficient means of heating which also double up in the summer as cooling units. As they come in low maintenance units, heat pumps are usually very simple to instal and qualify for the renewable heat incentive scheme.