Centrica Archives - Energy Management Summit | Forum Events Ltd

Energy Management Summit | Forum Events Ltd Energy Management Summit | Forum Events Ltd Energy Management Summit | Forum Events Ltd Energy Management Summit | Forum Events Ltd Energy Management Summit | Forum Events Ltd

Posts Tagged :

Centrica

5 ways to manage higher energy costs & shrink your carbon footprint

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

High energy prices are causing pain for all organisations. But what can you do to tackle rising costs and reduce your carbon footprint?

It’s impossible to predict the future twists and turns of the energy markets, so it’s essential to find smart new ways to manage energy costs and carbon emissions.

Centrica Business Solutions’ energy cost reduction guide reveals five opportunities to use energy sustainably for financial and environmental gain.

5 proven ways to manage cost and carbon reduction

  1. 1. Drive energy efficiency through data. Advanced energy insight technologies provide full visibility of your site-wide energy consumption. This enables you to identify hidden efficiency opportunities, pinpoint operational vulnerabilities; and inform investment and optimisation opportunities.
  2. Generate and store your own low-cost, low carbon power supply. Falling technology costs and higher wholesale energy prices are strengthening the economic case for installing solar PV and battery storage. The return on investment for solar projects has recently increased by a third. For one client we were predicting annual energy savings of £43,000 six months ago, which has now risen to £78,000.
  3. Unlock revenue & cost saving opportunities. By ‘load shifting’ operations with high energy demands from peak periods to a time when energy costs are lower you save on energy bills. Use distributed energy assets, such as solar battery storage systems to unlock flexibility revenues or to provide a green back-up power supply.
  4. Become a sustainable business and gain competitive advantage. Get ahead of increasing energy costs and carbon taxes plus tighter regulation, such as the upcoming Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
  5. Use finance solutions to invest in new energy technology. There are many opportunities to use Opex-based finance, such as our Energy as a Service option, which removes risk, time and financial pressures.

Centrica Business Solutions are experts in delivering integrated sustainable energy projects – helping you to improve your cost, environmental & operational performance.

Download our guide: ‘5 Opportunities to manage energy costs’

No time to waste on Net Zero

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

We need less “Blah, Blah Blah” and more action on Net Zero, according to Greta Thunberg.

What are you waiting for? Get moving on your net zero journey to benefit both planet and profits.

You can get ahead of regulatory changes and surging carbon and energy prices to balance both your financial and environmental goals.

Read our new report to find out how green business leaders are delivering on their net zero goals. Discover the most cost effective ways to improve your sustainable energy performance.

Download your report: Why wait to pursue net zero?

CENTRICA: UK firms to invest £15.8bn in EVs this year

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Research conducted by Centrica Business Solutions has revealed that UK firms spent £10.5bn on electric vehicles (EVs) and on-site charging points during the year to March 2021, and are now planning £15.8bn of investment in the same area over the next 12 months – a 50% increase year-on-year.

Two fifths (40%) of those questioned said they had increased the total number of EVs within their fleet between April 2020 and March 2021.

Of these businesses, six in ten (58%) cited the need to meet corporate sustainability targets as the biggest driving factor behind their increased adoption of EV, followed by reducing operational disruption caused by low and zero-emission zones (51%) and the attraction of the lower maintenance and whole-life costs offered by EVs (37%).

Four in ten (43%) businesses hadn’t increased EV numbers at all and 10% decreased their EV fleet size. Range anxiety was reported as the chief concern for a third (34%) of these firms, followed by the need to prioritise business investment elsewhere during the height of the coronavirus crisis (32%).

Despite this, two-thirds (67%) of all companies polled claimed they are well-prepared to operate a fully electric fleet by 2030, when the Government’s ban on the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles comes into effect.

46% of businesses polled plan to install charging points on their premises to facilitate the uptake of EVs across the next twelve months, although more than a third (37%) have already installed this infrastructure. The research also revealed that three in ten (30%) firms have already invested in on-site technology capable of generating the energy to charge their fleet of EVs, such as solar panels, while almost half (48%) plan to do this in the future. 

Greg McKenna, managing director of Centrica Business Solutions, said: “Despite the disruption of the past year, it’s encouraging to see investment in EVs remain a key priority for many businesses. The fact that firms are planning to increase their spending so dramatically over the next 12 months is proof that more businesses are recognising the advantages of adopting low-emission vehicles, especially as they recover from coronavirus and seek to create sustainable growth.

“Now that 2030 is set in stone as the end of new petrol & diesel sales we need to ensure three things to help get us there, sufficient electric vehicles to meet demand, reliable charging infrastructure that’s available to all and a flexible energy system that can deliver green power where it’s needed.”

Rachel Maclean, Transport Minister, said: “As we accelerate towards our net-zero future, I’m delighted to see UK firms at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution.

“With British businesses set to increase their investment in electric vehicles by 50%, the message is clear – the future is electric. With generous government grants and tax incentives which could save drivers over £2,000 a year, there has never been a better or more exciting time to make the switch.”

How to turn sustainable energy targets into action: a leadership guide

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

By Centrica Business Solutions

Sustainability and profit are two sides of the same coin, which is why CEOs must build back greener from the global pandemic. But how can senior executives turn their decarbonisation ambitions into action to deliver on both their environmental and economic goals? 

Long-term carbon reduction plans will quickly falter without the backing of senior leaders. These individuals are in a unique position to drive sustainability by setting a clear direction, nurturing team collaboration and managing cultural change.

There’s a groundswell of commitment to decarbonisation from businesses and investors alike, with many of the world’s best known brands setting net-zero targets. However, delivering on these long-term targets is complex and challenging. 

Centrica Business Solutions is helping organisations to overcome these challenges. We have published a new guide to show business leaders  ‘How to Turn Ambitious Sustainability Targets into Effective Action.’

To accelerate the delivery of ambitious sustainability goals, CEOs and their executive teams  need a clear, dynamic action plan that de-risks commitments, shows tangible progress and reassures stakeholders.

The sustainability leaders’ guide explains how business leaders can create a carbon reduction plan that aligns fully with business strategy to deliver results, while demonstrating progress along the way.

This involves developing a sustainable energy pathway – broken down into  manageable, incremental steps.  Using this his methodology,  organisations can  translate both short and longer-term goals into feasible, detailed action plans that balance both economic and environmental priorities.

Download our guide to how senior executives can deliver on sustainable energy ambitions

Sustainability pays: how to take care of the planet and your profits

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

Being good to the environment is great for your business finances.

Taking control of your own energy needs – using onsite generation and storage – can reduce costs and cut carbon emissions. It will also protect your business from energy supply disruption.

Download our research report to discover the 4 steps you can take to accelerate your energy sustainability and improve your profits.

INFOGRAPHIC: UK businesses viewing energy as a key part of their sustainability strategy

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

The latest research from Centrica has revealed a shift in priorities for UK businesses, with environmental and social responsibility joining financial performance and efficiency as a top 3 organisational priority for the first time.

But what is driving this change? Check out the infographic below for a full analysis:-

CENTRICA REPORT: Why sustainability is good for business

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

Sustainable businesses see energy as an opportunity, not a financial burden. They’re exploiting distributed energy technologies, such as onsite generation and storage, to cut costs and carbon emissions.

This also increases operational resilience and enhances reputation.  

Download Centrica’s research report to see the 4 steps you can take to accelerate your energy sustainability and improve your business performance.

CENTRICA REPORT: Steps to sustainable business growth

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

What does it take to become a more sustainable, future-focused organisation? 

Today’s consumers, shareholders and governments are demanding that businesses take responsibility for their carbon emissions, and work toward a low carbon future.

Our new report explains what it means to be a sustainable business and the steps you can take to start your journey.

We share the most significant results from our research, the changing role of energy, and the actions businesses should take to prepare for a more commercially and environmentally sustainable future.

https://www.centricabusinesssolutions.com/distributed-energy-future-trends-LP

Are you future-proofing your company’s energy needs?

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

Every business relies on energy for critical tasks – but with this dependence comes risk. As organisations seek to become more sustainable, it’s vital to plan not only for short-term energy needs, but also for long-term energy security. 

Increasingly, businesses that are digitalising processes are becoming ever more dependent on power to run them, making it critical to plan effectively to reduce risks and ensure energy resilience. 

Our new report, Future-Proofing Your Company’s Energy Needs, highlights rising awareness of resilience as an issue for organisations across the globe, and practical steps you can take to mitigate risk.

Click here to download the full report.

EV Charging Management Platform Driivz secures $12m

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Driivz has secured $12 million investment from a funding round with participants including Inven Capital, Centrica and Ombu Group.

The three funds will join the board of directors of the company alongside Tsahi Merkur, the company’s founder and seed investor.

Inven says Israel-based Driivz was selected following a ‘comprehensive due diligence process for its leadership and innovative approach developing the best-in-class Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Management platform for EV service providers’.

The Driivz platform is already deployed by multiple energy companies, used by over 300,000 drivers, and supports more than 80 types of charging stations.

The partners say there is a rising need for a reliable, stable, and easy to use charging infrastructure. In addition, the mounting demand for electricity, the increased burden on the existing electricity grid, and the emphasis on the use of renewable energy, has led utility companies to rethink their production and storage assets as well as their control systems.

Finally, one of the most important factors to enable the expected growth in adoption of EVs is the availability of an effective, comprehensive, easy-to-use charging platform that is based on open standards. These factors, they say, make the Driivz management platform a ‘must-have solution’.

The Driivz EV Charging Management platform is an end-to-end, modular system, offering charging operations management, user & grid management, billing capabilities, home, public & workplace charging support, and driver enablement apps. It is fully compliant with OCPP 2.0 and ISO 15118: Vehicle to Grid (V2G) Communication Interface, for communication between EVs and the charging stations.

“The electric vehicle market is experiencing phenomenal growth, and there is no longer doubt that this technology will become mainstream within the next decade. This growth must be supported with an efficient EV charging infrastructure, which is effectively managed to facilitate the increase in energy demand. INVEN continually seeks investment opportunities in companies positioned to lead the energy revolution such as Driivz, which offers a comprehensive and innovative platform providing the most advanced energy management capabilities,” said Michal Mravec, Investment Manager, Inven Capital.

“We are excited to welcome INVEN as our newest investor, and believe we are now well positioned to continue to deliver on our promise of developing leading innovative solutions for the EV charging industry,” said Doron Frenkel, CEO of Driivz. “Driivz is committed to leading the energy revolution by empowering EV service providers and Utilities to use the electrification of transport as a balancing tool to enable more efficient power utilization.”

“It’s great to welcome another investor to the table as Driivz continues to grow its global position as a leader in EV charging management. Having already integrated their platform into our own intelligent EV charging offer, I have no doubt that Driivz will continue to play an important role in building the technology that will see e-mobility at the very heart of an energy future that is cleaner and more connected than ever,” said Charles Cameron, Chairman of Centrica Innovations.