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TECHNOLOGY REPORT

A function of this is an environmental survey of 564 SMEs that asked about attitudes toward sustainabil- machinery (manufacturer details along
policy that should be pushed by senior ity and actions they’ve taken to reduce their energy consumption. with product references) that businesses
management to underline its impor- More than 80% had taken action to increase their energy effi- could consider acquiring.
tance. At the same time, reduction tar- ciency and 51% said they want to do more. What was fascinating There are some Carbon Trust loans,
gets should be set to motivate employees to Timlin was that “more than 60% were very or fairly concerned but they are only available to SMEs in
to think about where resources are con- about their energy spend – up from 46% when we conducted a certain parts of the UK. SMEs in Wales
can apply for an interest-free loan of
sumed and how reductions can be made. similar survey of SMEs in 2016”. between £3,000 and £200,000 with the
As Timlin explains: “Simple communi- Carbon Trust through the Energy
cation or labels on energy-using technol- Carbon emissions Efficiency Loan Fund where they are
ogies helps to guide employees on The government, being in a position of overarching power, has replacing existing equipment that will
actions they can take to save energy the ability to drive change. Global warming is a function of result in energy savings. The same
while clear guidance helps to improve increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. One incentive to applies to SMEs in Scotland with an
recycling rates.” improve environmental performance in terms of carbon emis- interest-free loan, from £1,000 up to
sions is Climate Change Agreements (CCAs). These agreements,
But it’s the simplest of measures that which Walker highlights, “enable sites to claim significant dis- £100,000 through Zero Waste Scotland.
are so effective. Here Timlin calls for counts off the Climate Change Levy that appears on their energy The Trust offers more information on
‘sustainability walk-arounds’ to help bills. In return for this discount a site is required to meet energy financing energy efficiency projects. It
also has a number of online tools to help
identify wasted resources – lights left on efficiency targets, for which it is measured every two years.” It’s firms assess their position: SME Energy
in meeting rooms, spaces or toilets that notable that the current scheme has been extended to 2025 and Benchmark Tool, SME Carbon
aren’t in use; photocopiers, monitors should, according to Walker, save the printing sector over £14m. Footprint Calculator and a Lighting
and printers left on standby when not in In Walker’s eyes, print has been “very successful in meeting its tar- Business Case Tool.
use; and doors and windows left open gets and has improved its energy efficiency by 18.85% since But despite the Trust’s activity,
during colder weather. 2008”. He adds that “it is to be hoped that the government Walker says organisations looking for
extends this successful scheme further once it finishes in 2025”.
There are a number of technologies The BPIF manages CCAs for the print sector and can financial support for environmental
improvements, would be best off con-
that can help and Stuart Pearce, manag-
There is no Plan B ing director of SMARTech energy, is advise on the subject. tacting their local authorities to see what
incentives they may have on offer, “but
aware of them all. They include LED
Back to the present, it’s logical that minds are focused on the
with Brexit impacting on funding this is
lighting, power quality improvement,
power factor correction and voltage pandemic, but, reckons Walker, “environmental concerns will likely to be limited”.
[soon] feature much more prominently in the minds of the indus-
But there is an alternative – one that’s
optimisation, energy efficient heating try’s customers, particularly those high-profile customers, who found in the world of software – where
and cooling, as well as renewables like will not only demand to know the carbon footprint of a job, but energy technologies are seen as a service
solar PV, ground source heat pumps and who will expect that impact to have been offset.” rather than as a purchase, and it’s some-
combined cooling heat and power. There is another element of regulation to consider – the rela- thing that SMARTech energy is involved
He says: “Some of these technologies tively recently launched Streamlined Energy and Carbon in. Termed EEaaS, instead of purchasing
are low-cost to supply and install with Reporting. It requires large unquoted companies to prepare and energy saving technologies, firms can
short to medium payback periods. In file energy and carbon information in their director’s report in implement projects without capital
their financial years starting on or after 1 April 2019. This process,
contrast, renewable energy technologies according to Walker, “means a company will need to convert its expenditure, finance leasing or risk.
like solar PV should be considered long- energy use into carbon emissions. We can help companies inter- Effectively, SMARTech energy invests
and the savings shared between the cus-
term due to their long payback periods pret the emissions factors they will need to use, as well as giving tomer and SMARTech energy – and are
and high initial capital outlay.” general guidance about the scheme”. guaranteed at between 20% and 50%.
Naturally, some might be tempted Pearce says EEaaS is suitable for all firms
with new printing equipment. Pearce Other financial incentives “but the size and scale of the energy con-
recognises that this can provide servation measure dictates the viability
improvement in energy savings due to With the government being in the driving seat it’s sensible to of an EEaaS undertaking.” This is
more efficient components, options ask what help there is for firms to go green? Walker’s response is because the process of measuring, quan-
such as LED drying, and reduced pro- clear: “There really isn’t a lot out there at the moment from gov- tifying and validating savings can be
duction waste. However, he notes that ernment.” He adds that: “The consultation document on the expensive for small energy saving situa-
“the investment in new equipment future of CCAs after 2025 asked industry what sort of projects tions.
Even so, some should benefit he
should be evaluated against the payback they would like to see, but government emphasis seemed to be on claims. He cites CPI Antony Rowe with
‘energy-intensive sectors’, and the printing sector doesn’t qualify.”
period, because this capital can instead Worse, he says that the government ended Enhanced Capital an upgrade to LED lighting: “It is esti-
be used to reduce carbon footprint by Allowances, other than in Enterprise Zones, in favour of an mated that once they upgrade, they will
investing in other technologies with Industrial Energy Transformation Fund which does not include save around £196,000 annually with a
quicker payback periods.” print. payback of just under 18 months. Their
It’s of interest that earlier in 2020, the Beyond that, the Carbon Trust points to the government’s carbon footprint will reduce by 426.7
Carbon Trust published the results of a Energy Technology List which details energy efficient plant and tonnes a year.”

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