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Choose ISO 50001 to simplify compliance and set course for net zero carbon

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By Mehmet Olgun, Head of Net Zero Compliance, EQUANS

Businesses face mounting legislative pressure to achieve energy and carbon savings, and to comply with multiple compliance regulations, including ESOS, SECR, CCA and UK ETS. That’s why it’s important to find the most efficient and manageable ways to gather data, manage energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions in order to meet your regulatory obligations.

One of the most effective ways to fulfil all of these requirements is to gain accreditation to ISO 50001 – the internationally recognised standard for energy management systems (EnMS). ISO 50001 provides the foundation for compliance with all environmental regulations and also delivers a framework for creating a net zero carbon roadmap to meet your carbon-reduction objectives.

What does ISO 50001 accreditation involve?

ISO 50001 helps establish best practices for energy management. It involves implementing policies on everything from purchasing and energy efficiency to staff training and data reporting. It helps organisations to manage, monitor and improve energy performance by controlling  energy consumption and enhancing operational efficiency. It enables you to embed processes, measurements, behaviours and responsibilities within your organisation that help to achieve consistent energy and carbon savings.

Once achieved, the accreditation is initially awarded for three years. Certified businesses will have to go through an annual audit each year, to ensure they are maintaining the IS0 50001 requirements. 

The benefits of ISO 50001 accreditation

As well as enabling easy compliance with ESOS and other regulations, accreditation to ISO 50001:

  • Improves profitability and operational efficiency through continuous energy savings and cost reductions.
  • Builds robust operational and energy management processes and behaviours into a business and creates creating a leaner and more agile operation.
  • Provides a strong foundation for creating a net zero carbon roadmap and supports the delivery of your net zero strategy.
  • Helps you stay ahead of regulatory changes and new compliance requirements by instilling bast practice into your business.
  • Strengthens employee motivation by engaging people in improving environmental performance
  • Enhances brand reputation by demonstrating your commitment to sustainable development

Start your journey to ISO 50001 accreditation 

With so many competing priorities, dedicating time and resources to reaching ISO 50001 accreditation may seem challenging. Partners like EQUANS can help by providing end-to-end support for achieving ISO 50001 accreditation. At EQUANS we help you develop your policies and set appropriate targets and objectives. We identify energy consumption hotspots and associated energy-saving opportunities, as well as introducing monitoring and measurement processes to evaluate your performance. Our specialists will also guide you through the annual audit process required to maintain your accreditation.

Find out more about ISO 50001 accreditation and how EQUANS can support your business here.

Maximise your carbon reduction & cost savings

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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By David Kipling, CEO – On-Site Energy Ltd

Whilst the news that Governments’ net zero plans remain intact as a result of the invasion of  Ukraine, current energy prices are at unprecedented levels and are a matter of survival for some businesses.

The good news is that by focusing on energy efficiency and onsite energy generation the likelihood is that you will both save money and carbon emissions. Energy savings and carbon reductions go hand-in-hand.

To develop a carbon reduction plan, you first need to understand your current performance whether that is in lighting, motor loads, chilling, heating or the other main uses you have.

This can then be compared to “best in class” performance.  Knowing what the result of implementing best in class solutions is a good start to formulating a plan and to building a business case for investment.  It will also tell you how close to net zero, so the remaining gap can be considered.

Minimising your exposure to the grid by reducing consumption and generating power onsite is the best way to mitigate the risk from volatile grid costs.  On-Site Energy can help with understanding your current carbon and energy performance, identifying the opportunities for efficiency and energy generation, and then delivering them.

We can also help unlock the opportunities by funding them on a zero-capex basis where some of the savings are used to fund the measures.  Your business benefits from lower costs and the full carbon reduction savings, without needing to spend anything.

If you would like to discuss how to implement energy efficiency measures, onsite generation or develop and roll-out a carbon management plan for your business, please contact David Kipling, CEO – On-Site Energy Ltd on 0151 271 0037 or email  david@on-site.energy (www.on-site.energy).

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

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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’

Green hydrogen has potential to be a ‘game changer’

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Hydrogen’s noteworthy contribution to clean energy transitions makes it a game changer for the power industry, says GlobalData. The data and analytics firm notes that the power industry can leverage hydrogen’s potential as a cleaner burning alternative to conventional fuels in the evolving hydrogen economy.

GlobalData’s report, ‘Hydrogen in Power – Thematic Research’, notes that, while the cost of producing hydrogen from renewable energy sources is currently expensive, the momentum that has been built along the entire value chain is accelerating the cost reduction in hydrogen production, transmission, distribution, retail, and end-applications. Now is the time to scale up low-carbon technologies and lower their costs, so that hydrogen technology can be widely utilized.

Sectors such as oil refining and ammonia, methanol, and steel production have been using hydrogen extensively. Hydrogen will play a critical role in the transition to clean energy with the advancement of its applications in sectors such as transportation (fuel cell vehicles), buildings (hydrogen blending), and power generation.

Sneha Susan Elias, Power Analyst at GlobalData, said: “Currently, in the power industry, hydrogen plays a minimal role and accounts for less than 0.2% of electricity generation, according to the International Energy Agency. However, a change is highly possible in the near future, as the mixing of ammonia can decrease the impact of carbon in existing conventional coal-fired power plants, hydrogen gas turbines, and combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGT). When it comes to long-term and large-scale energy storage, hydrogen (in the form of compressed gas, ammonia [NH3], or synthetic methane) has a role to play in balancing seasonal variations in electricity supply and demand from renewable energy sources.”

Hydrogen is becoming popular as a low or zero-carbon energy source. The major growth markets for green hydrogen include green hydrogen replacing grey hydrogen and new markets such as energy storage, buildings, and transportation. Several countries have begun to consider a hydrogen-based economy as a solution to increasing carbon emissions, energy stability, and climate change issues. Green hydrogen presently has a small share in the production mix but is poised to increase, given the ambitious targets announced by countries. Through the Hydrogen Strategy for a Carbon Neutral Europe (EU Green Deal), the EU targets for a renewable hydrogen electrolyzer capacity of 6 GW by 2024 and 40 GW by 2030. India unveiled its National Hydrogen Mission in 2021 and aims for 5 million tonne (MT) green hydrogen production by 2030. Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy plans to set up hydrogen hubs regions wherein users of hydrogen are co-located to take advantage of existing users or potential hydrogen markets.

Elias concluded: “With global leaders in the energy industry in search of solutions that will help them to achieve decarbonization or enhance energy security, hydrogen is on track to becoming an energy vector and its use is gathering momentum.”

5 Minutes With… On-Site Energy CEO David Kipling

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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In the latest instalment of our energy management industry executive interview series we spoke to ON-SITE Energy CEO David Kipling about the company, the biggest challenges faced by the sector right now, upcoming trends to watch out for and the potential of solar PV…

Tell us about your company, products and services.

DK:  The inspiration for ON-SITE came from my previous role where I led a team addressing energy in over 100 manufacturing plants globally.  We saw the value of data-led energy analysis in identifying more than 50% savings but we found in practice we could only execute those measures with a short payback.

With the pressure now on achieving better sustainability, and on reducing costs, companies are going to have to find a way of doing the longer payback measures that until now sit on the shelf.  This is what ON-SITE is about – we help unblock long payback capex and enable the measures to happen.  We work with our customers to identify measures with a data-led approach, and then implement them using our money, with no contribution from the customer.  We effectively keep some of the savings to pay for our returns, and pass the remainder on to the customer through lower energy costs.  This way we can also help companies embrace net zero much faster.

We work with energy intensive manufacturing companies, and cover a wide range of technologies including efficiency measures, onsite generation and heat recovery.  We think its important to identify the most appropriate measures and which will have most impact, so we keep an open mind on what we recommend and are instead guided by the data.

What have been the biggest challenges the Energy Management industry has faced over the past 12 months?

DK:  The crisis of rising energy costs that started last Autumn has brought sharp focus on energy costs for many.   It really has shown the value of energy hedging but also the risks of what happens when your hedge ends and you face the market again.    Our view is the best way of defending your business from the market prices in the long term is (1)  consume less through investing in energy efficiency measures and (2) invest in your own generation, which is usually much cheaper and efficient, so that between these two steps you minimise your exposure..

And what have been the biggest opportunities?

DK:  Net Zero.  Most significant businesses now have a sustainability strategy with goals for achieving carbon neutral, but a lot have also had capex capped for at least the next few years because of COVID-19.  The pressure for change is building, and the main obstacles are capex and sometimes innovation.   We can help with both of these with our zero capex approach, and enable companies to stay on track or even accelerate their plans.

What is the biggest priority for the Energy Management industry in 2022?

DK: I would say that underlying its still decarbonisation, but the cost pressures of the last six months means that reducing energy costs on a long term basis will take priority.

Fundamentally your business needs to be viable to be sustainable, so costs need to be addressed..  The good news is that sustainability improvement goes hand in hand with savings, so accelerating your sustainability plans can also mean lower energy costs.

The biggest challenge will be decarbonisation of heat – in other words planning to switch from gas to electricity.  This will be a massive change for gas hungry businesses.  I think this will be an increasing priority given the recent cost of gas, and increasing talk about hydrogen (albeit that’s still years away). For a lot of businesses that will mean significant additional cost unless they develop a comprehensive approach and plan.

What are the main trends you are expecting to see in the market in 2022/23?

DK:  I see two things – there is going to be a bigger push on onsite generation to reduce costs, and also the next round of ESOS is due by end 2023, and its likely it will be mandatory by then to have to enact the measures reported.  Its going to result in a lot of challenges to auditor findings, but its also going to bring a focus on getting ahead of the game and being proactive in addressing points.

What technology is going to have the biggest impact on the market this year?

DK:     I think its going to be solar PV.  Its cheap, fairly fast to deploy and can provide some relief for businesses against the high energy costs.     The issue is its usually limited impact in manufacturer’s energy costs.  For much larger savings you can’t beat CHP currently, but the key is using the heat constructively to reduce other fossil fuels.

In 2025 we’ll all be talking about…?

DK:  100% Hydrogen-ready CHP.  The technology already is in market, but there isn’t much hydrogen available to use it.   Whilst the initial reaction for some is its more gas usage, CHP could be the transition technology to 24/7 zero carbon onsite generation once hydrogen is available.

Which person in, or associated with, the Energy Management industry would you most like to meet?

DK:  Lisa Rose of Forum Events (again) !   Lisa’s an enthusiast and is great at making people talk.  We need more Lisa’s !    It was good to get back to some face to face networking last year at the energy management event in London.  Looking forward to this October.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about the Energy Management sector?

DK:  I think people enjoy learning about opportunities they hadn’t previously known about, which can be brought about by new technologies .  It’s an exciting space which is innovating fast.  It also has a meaningful impact on both business profits and on climate change and sustainability, so the people in the Energy Management space are often driven by the benefits they can deliver.

You go to the bar at the Energy Management Summit – what’s your tipple of choice?

DK:  Mine’s a pint !

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

DK:  Delivering new insights and levels of savings not thought possible

And what’s the most challenging?

DK:  Countering the “we’ve seen it before” response.   Reality is if they saw exactly “it” previously, then “it” has either changed massively or it wasn’t approached in the way we would use it.  It doesn’t hurt to take 15 minutes to see if you can learn something.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

DK:  A quick “no” is better than a slow “no”.

Peaky Blinders or Stranger Things?

DK:   My TV watching is limited to repeats of Top Gear.

No time to waste on Net Zero

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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?

5 Minutes With… Robert Brown from ENGIE Impact

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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As part of our energy management executive interview series, we sat down with Robert Brown, a Director of Sustainable Resource Management at ENGIE Impact, a global consultancy company accelerating sustainability transformation for businesses, cities and governments. The discussion shed light on energy management challenges, goal setting, and the roles of digital tools and data in reaching decarbonisation objectives…

What have been the biggest challenges the Energy Management industry has faced over the past 12 months?

Many organisations have been caught out by record energy price rises this year. Wholesale gas prices have risen by an average of 250% across the world and businesses are now facing unbudgeted bills for natural gas and electricity this year . At the same time, the pressure to progress with a sustainability transformation strategy contributes to the challenges for effective energy management. As announced at this year’s COP26, 60 of the UK’s FTSE 100 companies have signed up to the United Nation’s Race to Zero campaign, showing that more and more businesses are now realising the full potential of an integrated sustainability strategy.

And what have been the biggest opportunities?

I like to think that every challenge unveils an opportunity. This surge in global market energy pricing was an alarming call to those who haven’t conducted a holistic risk assessment, and who haven’t taken into account potential factors beyond daily business operations that could  affect the company’s bottom line and ultimate viability. For those who haven’t already, now is the time for organisations to review their strategy, and consider emerging energy buying options.

Business leaders have benefitted and are benefitting from integrating more renewables into their energy mix, which has dovetailed with their zero-carbon strategy to achieve a commercial advantage whilst accelerating the achievement of sustainability goals.

In 2025 we’ll all be talking about…?

2025 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement. I think that we will be discussing our progress in decarbonisation and the achievements to date of this “Decade to Deliver”. The UK has set a goal to achieve 51% emissions reduction by 2025, compared to 1990 levels. Governments and businesses are partnering towards this objective, and although we are on the right track, we still have a long way to go, especially as the UK has pledged a new target of 78% emissions reduction by 2035.

What is the biggest priority for the Energy Management industry in  2022? What technology is going to have the biggest impact on the market this year?

Given the recent rise in energy cost and the increasing urgency around climate change, it is important to keep in mind a business’ bottom line while implementing sustainable practices. We are now in an era full of evolution and dominance of digital tools, and energy management is no exception to this trend. Digital platforms are being used to leverage data intelligence and pinpoint optimisation opportunities through a holistic view of energy consumption data.

However, having the right data is not enough. Applying advanced analytics to data can deliver real value to an organisation as long as it is consistent and timely. This is something industry leaders like Tesla, Kraft Heinz, NatWest, DHL, Unilever and DS Smith have already started investing in.

This approach to energy management allows for granular sustainability reporting. Just as financial reporting supports a business in determining budgets, evaluating investment and minimising financial risk, sustainability reporting with meaningful and accurate data allows for transparency, effective decision-making and minimising environmental risk.

At ENGIE Impact, we recently launched ENGIE Ellipse: Zero Carbon Platform – a dynamic intelligence tool to accelerate decarbonisation. This scalable digital platform enables companies to measure their carbon footprint, set targets and design roadmaps, track progress and investments, and optimise performance.

How can your business help energy managers address these challenges?

ENGIE Impact supports businesses to mature their energy efficiency programmes across their portfolio of sites. By collecting the right data at the right time, we help our customers to understand their energy consumption and grasp opportunities for optimisation, as well as customise strategies tailored to their business goals and priorities. Our teams don’t just supply a plan; we are there at every step of the journey from initial concept through to full execution and post-project monitoring. From measuring results, to reporting on progress, we fuel continuous enhancement in energy management strategy for our clients.

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

Meeting with peer leaders in sustainability and energy management, and helping them in their decarbonisation journey and future proofing their organization. This is a professional driver for me and it’s really meaningful to see the positive impact to the bottom line competitiveness and sustainable progress that our collaborations bring.

And what’s the most challenging?

Sustainability is easier said than done. Unpredictable external factors, such as the extreme spike in energy prices this year and the effects that the pandemic has had on wider resource availability, can make it more challenging for businesses to reach their goals as efforts focus on financial survival in the short-term.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Energy requires a robust strategic approach. Doing nothing is a conscious decision.  The time to act is NOW and arming the right stakeholders with the right timely information and data to be able to act on is incredibly powerful so measure what matters.

Businesses will then gain competitive advantage and progress towards their energy efficiency and zero/neutral carbon ambitions in their daily operations.

Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-brown-miet/

Onsite generation and efficiency are best defences against volatile grid costs

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UK gas costs and electricity grid costs recently reached record highs. For those that are exposed to these rates there could be serious consequences.  For those that were lucky enough to dodge these bullets due to hedging or fixed tariffs, then the lesson should also be learned that you can’t avoid exposure to the market long term. When your hedge or fixed rate ends, what will the market be like then?  Are you prepared for that risk ?

But what can you do about it ?

The best thing you can do to avoid these prices is to reduce consumption. Suddenly energy efficiency measures whose payback was too long previously should be more attractive because of the higher costs of energy.  It would be wise to revisit what opportunities you have, and  to have your operational energy needs reviewed.  Inefficiencies that you have lived with for years such as over-sized steam boilers, inefficient motors, outdated refrigeration, obsolete plant, power correction, lack of VSDs, T5 lighting etc, will be worth addressing.

Additionally, generating your own power on site – “behind the meter” – avoids the non-commodity costs and CCL that go with grid power, and is amongst the cheapest form of power you can now source.

There are various low carbon and renewable options available.

Renewables are currently only intermittent generators …..solar only works in the day (and not as well in winter), wind only works when the wind is blowing sufficiently.   Also correct sizing of a solar array or wind turbine really impacts return on investment, so its wise not to go too large.

For those with more complex energy needs, combined heat and power systems can operate 24 hours a day, providing the largest savings.   They can provide heating, steam or even cooling as a by-product,  reducing grid electricity or gas usage, and providing more resilience,   They can also be carbon reducing or even carbon negative. Most CHP are also ready for 100% hydrogen when it becomes available, giving it some future proofing.

A key question though is where does the money come from for these measures ?      If the paybacks are still too long, or cash is already committed to other projects, then you can look for zero capex options where the provider will install the measures without cost to you,  and then charge you over time for their use. This is what we do at OEP Group (www.on-site.energy) for energy intensive manufacturers.

We can conduct a free review of your energy usage and recommend efficiency measures and onsite generation solutions without any commitments from you.  At the end, we provide you with our recommendations for both efficiency measures and onsite generation, and options for both capex and zero capex funding.

If this sounds interesting then please get in touch with our CEO, David Kipling at david@on-site.energy or call him on 0151 271 0037.

Royal Navy examining options for hybrid powertrains for it fleet

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The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has launched a new Market Exploration called Hybridisation of the Naval Fleet, which aims to identify hybrid powertrain technologies for Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships.

This Market Exploration is being run on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) Naval Ships Support Central Engineering Team and seeks hybrid powertrain technologies to explore options that will implemented by 2030, to aid the defence environmental sustainability strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 2050.

Proposals submitted to this Market Exploration should be at Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 5-9.

Using hybrid engines to reduce the emissions of Royal Navy and Auxiliary ships hybrid powertrain solutions for RN and RFA ships could reduce emissions by 20-40% by 2030. The MoD says it wants to understand the hybrid powertrain market for ships that meet the capability requirements for Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), as solutions will be retrofitted to ships.

It is seeking solutions per vessel, based around electrification (AC as well as DC) and electrical storage. Solutions will be able to be retrofitted to current vessels and will not have a negative impact on their individual operational capability. Preferable solutions will be weight saving or neutral.

What kind of ships will solutions need to be implemented on?

  • mass of 65,000 Tonnes at a speed of no less than 25 Knots
  • mass of 6,900 Tonnes at a minimum of 26 Knots
  • mass of 7,350 Tonnes at a minimum speed requirement of 32 Knots

Do you have an in-depth understanding of emerging capabilities, technologies, initiatives and novel approaches that may help better our understanding of the hybrid powertrain market? Submit an idea here!

Energy efficient Air Management and Temperature Control

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By David Kipling, CEO – OEP Group

We regularly see air temperature and humidity management challenges in large buildings.  That can be in large logistics warehouses who have problems with solar gain in summer and very high temperatures at mezzanine levels or winter heating where the space is vast and there is pressure to reduce gas and fossil fuel usage.

Also in buildings with tight climate management, which need to maintain temperature and humidity within tight tolerances such as for pharmaceutical and electronics manufacturing.

The answer to date seems to have been to throw money at expensive air handling.  Even then employees often complain about cold or hot spots.   These can also manifest in uneven temperature for the stored product or production process, with implications on product quality.

There is a new approach though that can provide significant benefits.   The system uses a patented “stirring” approach which achieves uniform temperatures, and minimises stratification.  It only requires about 1/6th of the ducting usually needed, which also means less capacity is needed for AHUs and other air processing.  This can be paired with low energy fans and other technologies such as evaporative cooling to provide the required solutions.

The impact of this technology can be a reduction in energy costs of up to 40%, avoidance of replacement capex on AHUs, reduced operating costs to maintain and better staff comfort.   It could also resolve capacity constraints in some refrigeration applications.

If you would like to discuss how to implement energy efficient air management in your business, please contact David Kipling, CEO – OEP Group on 0151 271 0037 or email  david@on-site.energy (www.on-site.energy).