Carbon Catcher

Understanding the CRC Efficiency Scheme with Carbon Catcher

In recent years, the attention surrounding ‘green’ issues has increased dramatically, with private sector companies both large and small are being held accountable for their energy use. For the larger companies where CRC Efficiency Scheme adoption is mandatory due to their energy usage, many of these organisations are now well informed in carbon reduction and the benefits. However, if you own or work for a small to medium sized business then looking into carbon reduction could be more of an opportunity than first expected.

UK Businesses using 6,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year or more have been targeted as mandatory for registration to the scheme.

In order to comply with the environment agency’s CRC Efficiency Scheme, you will need to be able to measure and calculate your energy usage. Based on your carbon emissions levels, you are entitled to an allowance from this governmental scheme

Even though the CRC scheme is focused on high consumption businesses and companies, small and medium companies can still make significant changes to their energy usage and bottom line by reviewing their current lighting systems. If you are concerned about the costs of making changes there is help on hand with Carbon Trust loans. If you are concerned about the costs that you could be looking at with energy reduction, then help is at hand to put you in a better place to maximise the CRC Efficiency Scheme. The Government has set up the Carbon Trust, a not for profit organisation that offers interest free loans to businesses trying to fund low energy or energy saving projects, in return for significant energy savings over the period of the loan. The loan is paid back on a monthly basis determined by the amount of energy savings you make.

From tracking consumption patterns to making physical changes to their buildings, such as insulating the loft spaces to retain heat, companies are able to make their buildings more efficient and therefore are decreasing their carbon footprint and improving their ‘green’ standing in the community. Whilst making an old system more efficient is a positive step forward, it isn’t necessarily the option which will make substantial energy savings. For example, a company spending £80,000 a year on their lighting may be able to make savings of 10% by encouraging staff to switch lights off after use, but can make savings of up to 70% by replacing the whole lighting system with a modern, low energy consuming system, which is actually a much better investment in time and money.

These figures are a good reason for companies to switch from just improving old inefficient lighting systems to brand new low energy alternatives. The task of implementing these types of changes however can seem like a daunting task which can potentially be costly in terms of research and time searching for suppliers, a competitive quote and contractors to install the fittings.

Heating control is another huge area of energy wastage in many UK businesses. There are now a wealth of thermostat and heating control systems to investigate and compare to your existing system. It could be that different zones or offices within your building need different times for constant temperatures and your current heating system doesn’t allow for this – creating energy wastage.

Company ethos

Carbon Catcher is a specialist low carbon consultancy for companies wanting to make big changes to their energy savings and bottom line. Their service provides a tailored energy saving scheme created for your building, enabling you to focus on the important areas of your business whilst making significant changes to your energy bills.

Project manager Charlotte Fayle said:

“We carry out projects that have a reasonable return on investment ranging from 18months to 4 years.

“Companies want to see a good return on their initial investment and can be unwilling to part with the costs of a project if the return rate is above our 4 year threshold.”

Contact details

For more information on this business carbon reduction service visit www.carboncatcher.org.uk or call 0113 276 1133.