Energy Update - Energy Efficiency Vital for Public Sector with new Scheme
The UK’s CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, formerly known as the Carbon Reduction Commitment, requires businesses and organisations which are intensive energy users to register on the scheme by the end of September, then they will have to buy British government permits for the carbon emissions their operations produce.
The Scheme will return generated revenue back to the Scheme’s participants, providing financial inducements to the organisations and businesses who make the biggest reductions in energy use, with the money generated through penalties levied on those with the worst record of energy saving and hence CO2 reduction.
Seems to be a reasonable and fair scheme on paper but in the current financial climate the UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph has raised a concern over large public organisations, such as the National Health Service (NHS), funded by the populace of Britain through taxes.
To quote the Telegraph:
....there are concerns it will not be a level playing field, as cash-strapped public sector bodies will not be able to afford energy-saving initiatives to compete with business.
The result could be that public sector organisations drop to the bottom of the league table, leading to taxpayers' cash flowing from bodies such as NHS trusts and local authorities to supermarkets and banks.
"Money from public sector organisations that fall in the bottom half of the table will be returned to those in the top half whether they are commercial or public organisations," said Rebecca Seabury, of energy analysts Inenco.
How much money would be distributed from the bottom to the top of the table depends on many factors, but some have put the figure in the millions....
"Unless investment plans change, it's hard to see [the public sector's] energy consumption falling dramatically," said Ms Seabury. "Unless there's the chance to invest in energy-saving measures, league table positions are likely to tumble."
Stephen Cirell, director of Cornwall Council's Green Cornwall programme, said the ability to invest would "undoubtedly" become a key point over time.
These large public sector organisations within the UK, and other countries who face similar schemes and incentive programmes, need to have reliable cost effective and ongoing energy saving technology and management to not only avoid penalties but to benefit financially.
To achieve positive results they need advice from the right experts within the field of energy efficiency, saving and management which can be provided by Enigin Distributors worldwide. These Distributors have the range of solutions that make cost effective sense and provide an impressive return on investment.
Picture by Tony Atkin
