CIBSE provides tools to cut carbon emissions

The premise of the campaign is simple: that organisations do something during the 100 days to cut their carbon emissions, with CIBSE providing support tools and measurement guides to assist in this. If you haven't signed up yet, it isn't too late to start, so contact the 100 Days team on 100dayscampaign@cibse.org.

Throughout the campaign, we are helping companies that have signed with themed days, technical tours and online campaigns to help motivate their staff and keep their carbon saving fresh and interesting. At CIBSE, we have been taking advantage of posters and stickers to drive the message home to staff, and we hope that you are too.

At a time when there are daily press announcements on the increasing risks we face from climate change, the likelihood is that we will fail to meet our targets to cut carbon emissions and that, in fact, they are set to rise by 2012.

The strength of this campaign is that it unites companies to take action, providing the UK with a focal point for cutting carbon emissions from the built environment. The experience gained by businesses over this time will give them the knowledge and drive to keep energy-saving measures in place and strive to reduce their emissions and energy bills long after the campaign has ended. The fact that UK companies of all sizes have signed up to the campaign is testament not only to its simple effectiveness, but to their need for effective energy-saving information.

CIBSE is grateful to the Carbon Trust for the support that it has provided. As experts in building services engineering, it is up to all of us to lead the way and provide others with the ways and means to help them to achieve carbon savings in their buildings.

We are now on countdown to 12 September, when the 100 days campaign ends, and we very much hope that many companies will have achieved their goal and filed their carbon returns so we can prove that our focused effort has delivered results. While the campaign is a promotional exercise aimed at showing UK business just how easy it can be to cut carbon emissions, it also delivers a key message: buildings account for nearly 50% of carbon emissions and UK businesses are well-placed to change this through the better design and operation of buildings for which they are responsible.

To help achieve this, CIBSE is launching the Low Carbon Consultant Register to create professionals who can deliver better buildings while being able to confirm compliance with Part L of the building regulations. This is CIBSE's long-term commitment to tackling climate change and is the second prong of the programme sponsored by the Carbon Trust. So far, the response from our membership and beyond has been phenomenal, with nearly 800 people subscribing for further information. We will shortly be taking bookings for the training courses being planned around the country. Details of the register are on our website (link below), where you can find out how to join the register, how to book training and stay on the register by undertaking CPD and, lastly, how you can attract clients to your registered status.

With these two exciting projects coming to fruition this summer, be sure to keep up-to-date with how you can take part in the 100 Days campaign, join the register, or contact people who have. You now have the definitive tools from CIBSE to cut carbon emissions and reduce our impact on climate change.