SYNERG January 2014 | Page 10

D evelop a comprehensive energy strategy in five easy steps with these simple guidelines. Are you still burning energy like there’s no tomorrow? Well, there is a tomorrow, and unfortunately, it’s probably going to bring you higher costs unless you keep your energy consumption in check. Commercial energy prices are rising, and every extra unit that you use impacts your bottom line - not to mention possible costs associated with the government’s green taxes. UK businesses could make £13bn in energy savings through efficiency programmes by 2050. Will yours be among them? It’s time to develop that energy strategy you’ve been thinking about – and here’s how, in five easy steps. 1. Review You won’t know where you’re going unless you can see where you’ve been. A thorough commercial business audit will help you to understand how you’ve been using energy in the past. If you haven’t installed energy monitoring equipment, that’s OK. A historical analysis of your energy bills will reveal some hidden truths. This phase is also a good opportunity to understand how much visibility you have of your organisation’s energy costs and usage and if it’s poor, to commit to improve this. And while you’re at it, take a long, hard look at those procurement contracts to assess the competitiveness of your supply contracts, T&Cs and rates. 2. Monitor Deliver an Energy Strategy in 5 Simple Steps www.energ.co.uk/procurement Now that you understand your energy history and your current position thanks to your commercial business audit, you can get up to speed with energy monitoring. This is the time to look both inside your organisation, and outside. Consider installing additional energy meters at key points in your facilities, so that you can start receiving more accurate data feeds that will help you to understand where, and when, your energy is being used. Read more on our blog 11