Eco News

npower has revealed new research that shows over half of small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) have no measures in place to monitor energy efficiency, despite many of them seeking ways to manage the bottom line in tough economic conditions.

The findings from the latest npower Business Energy Index (nBEI) show that 53% of the 4.8 million* SMEs in the UK have no methods in place to manage business energy efficiency, and nearly one in five (18%) didn’t know if they had reduced their energy consumption over the past 12 months.

This is despite figures from the report showing that where energy efficiency is being measured, 50% of SMEs reported savings of up to 10%, showing there is huge scope to make significant business savings, while also reducing carbon emissions.

Statistics from the Carbon Trust also highlight the potential for SMEs to reduce emissions further. The Trust found that SMEs have a potential energy saving opportunity of up to 20%, compared to 8% for large businesses.

The INTERNATIONAL GREEN AWARDS™, a global programme that recognises innovative and creative approaches to sustainability, is now searching the globe for true sustainability heroes. It’s being judged by some of the world’s most influential sustainability experts and media luminaries internationally including the former presidential candidate for Brazil, Marina Silva, Arianna Huffington, President & Editor-in-Chief, AOL Huffington Post Media Group, David de Rothschild, Environmentalist & Explorer and Sir Crispin Tickell, the former President of the Royal Geographical Society .

Sustainable innovation around technology is an important focus as businesses embark on the journey to a green revolution. And so the race is on to search the globe to unearth this year’s shining examples of innovation and creativity that will inspire our generation.

A survey by document management software company, Version One, highlights that financial professionals believe that financial incentives and new environmental legislation are key to persuading organisations to reduce their negative environmental impact. Version One carried out the research with 110 senior financial professionals (finance directors and managers) across a range of UK public and private sector organisations.

According to the Version One survey, 39% of senior finance professionals state that financial incentives alone are most likely to persuade their organisations to become more environmentally conscious, a 15% increase on the results from Version One’s 2008 survey. Just under a third (32%) state that new environmental legislation, combined with penalties for non-conformance, would influence their organisation to become greener, compared to just 8% in 2008.

Npower has conducted new research revealing that, on the first anniversary of its implementation, UK businesses want the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) scrapped.

The research reveals that companies not only want to see an end to the scheme, but over a quarter (29%) also said they do not think the Carbon Reduction Commitment will help the UK meet its carbon reduction targets - one of its key aims.

The government proposed several changes to the scheme as part of its Comprehensive Spending Review and as such, financial incentives which were originally included in the scheme were removed. Nearly half of businesses (43%) said they want financial incentives reintroduced and 40% of organisations said that now the CRC is effectively a tax, there is no incentive for businesses to reduce their carbon emissions - another important reason why the scheme was introduced in the first place.

Devoteam has published the results from its second European survey dedicated to Green IT, entitled "Which technologies for sustainable development?” After the initial 2009 publication rich and valuable lessons had been learnt. One hundred and thirty four organisations in eleven European countries responded to the online questionnaire this year posted last June on the website of the information technology and communication consulting company specialising in the infrastructures of information systems.

Green IT today: more than just a wish to reduce costs!

Document management and imaging software company, Version One, has been presented with a Green Apple Environment Award for the development of its electronic document management (EDM) green meter. Version One was presented with the Green Apple Award during a ceremony which took place at the House of Commons on 15 November 2010.

The Green Apple Awards, run by independent environment group, The Green Organisation, reward companies that demonstrate environmental best practice. The awards are now established as being one of the most influential environmental award schemes worldwide. This is the eighth year running that Version One has been a Green Apple Award winner in recognition of the positive environmental contribution of its document management and imaging software solutions.

The global GREEN AWARDS™ 2010 is pleased to announce the shortlist of the most creative and sustainable communications campaigns across 16 categories. Winners will be announced at the gala Awards ceremony on 2nd December 2010 at the Natural History Museum, London.

After an intense judging session across different continents, the GREEN AWARDS judging panel has agreed on the shortlist for the best global sustainability communications campaigns. Judging was based on the criteria of creativity, innovation and effectiveness of the communication campaign and media vehicles employed. The shortlisted work is the judges pick for the best global campaigns communicating sustainability.

DatacenterDynamics’ London event to highlight key industry concerns as one of UK’s largest, but most silent, carbon emitters struggles to predict its carbon future.

It is less public facing than the hospital and public sectors, and uses less energy than the exempt transport sector – at 6,000MWh/yr -- but when it comes to business and carbon emissions, the data centre industry has received little mention, despite being one of the most affected by recent changes to the UK’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC).

The announcement by the UK government last week that rebates would be turned into a fee could put the UK data centre industry at risk, according to some data centre specialists who spoke with our DatacenterDynamics London conference organisers.

...Companies lose potential benefits in which they have invested thousands of pounds…

John Field, Director of Carbon Management at Power Efficiency stated; "The changes to the CRC Scheme represent an un-signalled U-turn on existing regulations. Companies have invested in actions with enhanced cash benefits that have now disappeared overnight. Examples are accreditation for the Carbon Trust Standard, typically costing £15,000, and installing Automatic Meter Reading which both provided enhanced rates of return under the CRC Scheme. While these actions remain positive and cost effective, it is unfair to companies that the enhanced benefit under the CRC regulations has been lost."

Stand alone green information technology (IT) projects are at risk of being discontinued as a result of cost-cutting measures, according to a new review of sustainable IT projects in global corporations and major government departments.

Compass Management Consulting claims that too many first generation green IT projects were poorly defined and lacked meaningful measures of success, which is leading to their worth being questioned as IT costs are reviewed more widely. The firm also reports wide variances within organisations in the implementation of green IT policies, with one corporation re-using 50% of its PCs and servers in Asia, 20% in the UK and just 10% in Central America.