Regardless of your optimism or disappointment throughout the two weeks of COP26, there was a stark message that the time to take action is NOW. If you haven’t already, now is the time to just get started – and don’t let perfect plans and strategy get in the way of good enough.
It’s far better to start and make improvements/adjustments as you go, so here are 5 easy steps to help kick things off:
- Strategy – understand what you want to achieve and decide what resources you are going to apply, over what time.
- Get the data – know which data sources you are going to work with and get the data into a place it can be analysed and visualised. Do the analysis, dive deep.
- Understand and report what has been found and what the opportunities are, including all the Energy & Carbon benefits to the Company. You should also incorporate nil and low cost, plus activities, new technologies and renewables. Obtain management agreement of what the next steps will be.
- Undertake the intervention opportunities and carry out a rigorous Measurement & Verification process to IPMVP standards, then prove the business case.
- Continue with Monitoring and Targeting of the Energy and Carbon intensity. Ensure continuous improvement.
There are of course nuances within each of the above steps, however, it doesn’t matter if you already have sophisticated Energy & Carbon systems and practices or if you are just starting out on this journey, you can jump in at any of the above stages to start, improve or refine your processes.
Moreover, do not be overly concerned with the talk of a wave of regulatory and legislative changes on the horizon, as any of the good processes you put in place now will cover off some of your Company’s obligations when the legislation is introduced.
If your business has, or intends to make a Net Zero commitment, it is important to understand your Scope 1 & 2 emissions and to be aware that potentially your supply chain will make up a significant part of your Scope 3 emissions. This is a much more difficult topic to deal with.
If you would like support with your net zero pathways, Energy & Carbon data management, identification of new technologies or digital integration from experienced professionals, please contact Dean Noden at Energy and Technical Services. Dean.Noden@energy-ts.com.
We’re proud to offer a full range of services to help you achieve your energy goals, including technical energy solutions, BEMs systems, performance auditing and building specific strategies to help you achieve Net Carbon status.
More information can be found at www.energy-ts.com