| HOW?
Energy management is not a one-off
exercise; to be effective it needs to be an ongoing process. This short guide provides a
structured approach that businesses can adopt to manage their energy use effectively.
The 5 steps to
effective energy management
Click on underlined text to move
directly to the desired "step"
Step 1. Commitment
Step 2. Understand (establish the facts)
Step 3. Plan and organise
Step 4. Act
Step 5. Control, monitor & review*
* See also the "Quick Start Guide to Energy Monitoring &
Targeting" (pdf, 544kb) - this includes useful advice on how to use the CUSUM technique for energy management
Go
back to step 2 and repeat the process.
The Low Carbon Hierarchy - the route to a low carbon, climate friendly economy
The most cost-effective solution for reducing your carbon footprint is to:
1. REDUCE energy use by avoiding unnecessary use and implementing energy efficiency measures. You should include the design of your goods and services and also look up and down your supply chain.
Once you have increased your efficiency you should then look to
2. REPLACE fossil fuels with renewable energy sources and/or use cleaner fossil fuel technology such as Combined Heat and Power (CHP) where it is
feasible to do so.
Finally, having reduced your carbon emissions through avoiding waste, energy efficiency and use of renewable cleaner sources, you can
3. NEUTRALISE the remaining unavoidable emissions through carbon offsetting schemes.
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