Enigin Update - Businesses Told to Take Control of Energy
THE urgent need for clarity and a coherent, coordinated energy policy for the UK is highlighted in a report, published by the London School of Economics aimed at the business sector.
The npower Future Report, ‘Demanding times for energy in the UK’, examines the key challenges the energy industry is currently facing and assesses the impact this could have on UK businesses and what could happen if Government does not deliver co-ordinated and coherent policy reform on schedule. The main conclusion is that forward-looking businesses can take control and protect themselves from risk.
It is predicted that £200 billion of new investment is required by 2020 to replace ageing energy infrastructure in the UK and move toward smarter, lower carbon technologies. However, Government reform designed to attract this investment inevitably relies on finding a balance between cost, carbon and continuity of supply that is acceptable to customers and to the UK economy.
The report also addresses what businesses can do to negate the risks, so they can remain competitive and fully-operational whatever the UK’s energy future may hold.
Wayne Mitchell, interim industrial and commercial markets director at npower, adds: “Whatever happens in the future, business energy users can take control by becoming more energy efficient, controlling the timing of their consumption and relying on their own stand-by generation when it is economic to do so.
“Organisations that actively manage their energy demand not only reduce the risks for themselves, they also become part of the solution and can help the grid match supply and demand.”
Enigin Distributors supply Enigin plc's Eniscope system as part of the complete EnergyMaps program - this provides clarity and control over where, when and how a business or facility is using energy, with an easy to understand graphical interface showing real-time energy data, leading to savings in energy consumption, emissions and energy costs.
Mitchell concluded: “Indeed, there is an opportunity to use this approach as an additional revenue stream by selling back power to the grid. There is an expectation that the value of this kind of opportunity will rise to as much as £945 million a year by 2020, so there is significant business benefit to be had from adopting such an approach.”
Picture of K Hartrigge Industrial Estate, Jedburgh © Copyright Walter Baxter and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
