Participants in CIBSE’s 100 Days of Carbon Clean-Up Campaign saved an average of 93 tonnes – the equivalent of 520 double decker buses – of CO2 each. BSj reports

Back in June, CIBSE launched the 100 Days of Carbon Clean-Up campaign. (For anyone who has missed our campaign updates, it set out to encourage organisations to reduce carbon emissions in their own buildings to help combat global warming.) The Institution hoped that about 140 organisations would participate but in the event, more than 550 signed up.

Four months after its launch, the outstanding success of the initiative is becoming apparent after participants were invited to complete a form detailing the success of their efforts. The results show that some firms saved over 10% of their carbon emissions in the 100-day period. On average, each participant reduced their carbon emissions by an incredible 93 tonnes of CO2 – enough to fill more than 520 double-decker buses. More impressive still, if these participants continue with their carbon-cutting initiatives, they will prevent 190,000 tonnes, or one million double-decker bus-loads of carbon entering the atmosphere in a year.

CIBSE recognised the best-performing participants at an awards ceremony last month.

For many of the firms that took part in the campaign, the result has been a revelation. “I was amazed by how much energy we saved,” admits Brian Spires, senior consultant to HLM Architects’ Sustainability Group and winner of the ‘Champion of Carbon-Saving Champions’ award. Spires says the firm’s office in Camden, London achieved electricity savings of 35% over the 100 days between 5 June and 12 September. What’s all the more remarkable is that this was achieved at no extra cost. “We didn’t invest any money, all savings were down to good management,” he claims.

HLM was not the only organisation to see a significant energy saving. “Our electricity savings have averaged about 8-10% per store,” says Andrew Harvie, group estates maintenance manager of retailer The Peacock Group. Spread over the group's 900 stores, Harvie estimates these savings will shave a whopping £600,000 off the firm’s annual electricity bill.

Money aside, what surprised many of the winners was how simple it was to make significant energy savings. “A lot of things we’ve done are just common sense and cost very little to do,” says Gary Hughes, property and maintenance manager at the Copthorne Hotel, Cardiff, winner of the ‘Greatest Percentage of Carbon Saved’ award. He says some of the hotel’s biggest savings were in gas and water consumption: “we managed to save two million litres of water, which amounts to £5000, just by altering the swimming pool filter backwash cycle”.

Hughes says the key is to get everybody in the organisation to buy in to the campaign. “It's pointless putting in place energy-saving measures if the lights are going to be left on by the cleaners or windows left open when the heating is on,” he points out.

Indeed, employee buy-in was key to the carbon-saving campaign at United Business Media's offices in London (home of BSj), which are managed by ISS Coflex. Account manager Dermot Hughes – winner of the ‘Best Carbon Saving Campaign’ award – said buy-in was achieved through email, poster campaigns and a constantly changing display in reception.

Hughes tried a variety of different initiatives to keep the carbon-cutting theme uppermost in everyone’s mind. The “Switch-off campaign saved a lot of energy, while theme days like salad day and lift off didn’t - but they helped to maintain staff awareness,” he says.

Many of the winners used the campaign to introduce permanent management changes to ensure the energy-saving initiative will continue. HLM and the Peacock Group set up energy working groups, and the Peacock Group also introduced a new energy policy with a commitment to a 10% saving on energy bills.

Spreading the word

Campaign supporter The Carbon Trust is keen to see some of these initiatives adopted by a wider audience. “If measures implemented in just 100 days can save businesses up to 10% of their carbon emissions, a longer-term energy efficiency drive should be a no-brainer: the financial and environmental benefits are obvious,” says Karen Germain, networks manager.

So what will it take to convince the remainder of the UK’s two million businesses to do the blindingly obvious and put in place a few simple measures to promote behavioural changes that will stop money being wasted on energy?

“Education is the key,” says Copthorne Hotel’s Gary Hughes. “There is definitely a role for low carbon consultants to advise businesses on ways to save carbon, particularly smaller companies who may not have the expertise or capital to outlay on more efficient plant.”

Brian Spires agrees: "We need to take some of the lessons learnt to a wider audience and say ‘look, this is all you need to do’. At HLM, we’re going to show all our clients what we did.”

With rapidly escalating energy prices and growing concerns about the impact of global warming on business, it is surprising that firms are not doing more to save energy. As ISS Cofex’s Dermot Hughes sums up: “Most senior managers realise that something has got to be done to cut carbon emissions. There is no excuse for not tackling energy use as you can do a lot that won't cost you a penny and you’ll be saving CO2 as well as saving money”.

Best lift off campaign

Wandsworth Council

Initial CO2 emissions: 182 291 kg
End CO2 emissions: 168 046 kg
Saving: 14,245 kg (7.8%)

The London council encouraged staff to “lift off” and take the stairs instead of relying on the elevator as part of its carbon-saving initiative for the Reed House building. The results showed energy consumption reduced noticeably on lift off day. More importantly, energy consumption stayed low on subsequent days as people committed to saving energy and woke up to the health benefits of taking the stairs.

Best clothes-off carbon saving campaign

Lacey Hickie Caley

Initial CO2 emissions: 20,697 kg
End CO2 emissions: 20,474 kg
Saving: 224 kg (1.1%)

Architects at Exeter-based Lacey Hickie Caley swapped their normal attire for t-shirts and flip-flops to scoop this award. Taking place on one of the hottest days this year, the aim was to highlight the impact individuals can have on a company's energy consumption. Initiatives included turning fans off, using tap water instead of bottled water, unplugging any charger not in use, turning off non-essential lighting and switching off the photocopier when not in use.

Champion of Carbon-Saving Champions

Brian Spires (HLM)

Initial CO2 emissions: 53.9 kg/day
End CO2 emissions: 35.9 kg/day.
Saving 18.0 kg/day (35.2%)

Brian Spires was the inspiration for HLM’s campaign. He provided expertise, suggested many of the group’s initiatives and had a hands-on involvement in running it, including one-to-one discussions with staff to ensure they bought into the initiative. “We concentrated on the low/zero cost management actions, which enabled us to make energy savings in all five offices from day one”.

Initiatives included:

  • Setting up a management team
  • Creating a spreadsheet to provide weekly updates on energy reductions
  • The use of recycled paper
  • Water-saving devices in all WCs
  • Change over to energy labelled equipment, including all flat screens
  • Regular meetings and presentations with staff to discuss the measures
  • Expanding campaign to include carbon impact of employees private lives
  • Arranging for an energy saving message or tip to appear every time a computer was switched on.
  • Sending a letter to all HLM's clients to inform them of its participation in the campaign and provide advice on how they can do the same.

Best carbon saving campaign

United Business Media

Initial CO2 emissions: 3, 772, 321 kg
End CO2 emissions: 3, 694, 605 kg
Saving: 77, 717 kg (2.1%)

United Business Media is the landlord of Ludgate House where Building Services Journal is based. Its campaign kicked off with a banner initiative in reception, plus poster and email alerts. Initiatives encouraged staff to turn off equipment at night and weekends, close blinds in the evenings to prevent early morning solar gains and turn off lights. Other measures included altering plant set times, such as switching off air conditioning one hour early each night and turning it on half an hour later each morning.

Greatest percentage of carbon saved

Copthorne Hotel

Initial CO2 emissions: 1, 005, 357 kg
End CO2 emissions: 903, 027 kg
Saving: 102, 329 kg (10.2%)

Initiatives for cutting energy have been high on the agenda at the Copthorne Hotel on the outskirts of Cardiff for a number of years now. Since 2001, a number of projects have been put in place, including replacing 2400 50 W dichroic lamps for 35 W units, the installation of Hippo bags to each toilet cistern saving around two litres of water per flush and the fitting of weather compensating controls for the heating system supplying the guest bedrooms.

The launch of the ‘100 Days’ campaign prompted a number of further initiatives that tied in with a raft of measures that the hotel was putting in place:

  • The appointment of a recycling champion that has seen 1000 kg/week of cardboard and 2000 kg of glass recycled as well as schemes put in place for recycling plastic and paper
  • Installing low-energy lamps in the guest rooms on three floors. This cost £1400, but reduced operational lighting costs by 70%.
  • Fitting solar reflective film to the offices significantly reduced the load on air conditioning
  • Swimming pool backwash cycles will now be determined by filter differential pressure, saving considerable water
  • Linking the constant temperature pump system to an online pressure transucer allowing variable pump speeds and thus more efficient operation.

Best Multi-site Carbon saving campaign

With over 9000 staff and over 900 stores, the Peacock group did not submit individual carbon summary forms of each of its buildings. Instead, the group submitted an estimated total annual electricity saving of 80,000000 kW.

For the ‘100 Days’ campaign, the Peacock group established a new energy policy, which included a commitment to saving 10% on energy bills, and rolled out a simplified version of the CIBSE briefing pack across its 900 stores.

The time spent preparing the briefing packs and briefing staff meant the initiative was not officially launched until 31 July. Once the campaign was under way, the group held different theme weeks including: checking and adjusting all time clocks; resetting the air conditioning controls; and lighting.

To keep things simple for the shop managers, it was decided not to do the TM22 review of all properties. Instead, a meter reading is taken every three months to allow the consumption in kWh/m2 to be established for every site. As each store’s energy consumption can be determined from electricity bills, energy savings can be measured.

Finally, the group is looking at projects that require some capital investment, but with a three-year payback. The idea is to install a new electrical distribution board for all essential electrical services such as the CCTV and intruder alarms. The existing boards will then be fitted with a seven-day time clock to switch off everything automatically when the store is not trading.

Source

Building Sustainable Design