the scale of change needed to tackle climate change will take more than a handful of companies doing their bit. Good news, then, that one of the UK’s biggest employers, the National Health Service (NHS), is trying to get to grips with its energy use. The NHS employs more than 1 million people and estimates suggest it emits 1 million tonnes of carbon a year. Hospitals have been set targets for reducing emissions and the Carbon Trust (a government-funded independent company that helps businesses and the public sector to do this) is working with hospitals and primary care trusts to find the most cost-effective ways of achieving their emission targets. Tom Cumberlege, Public Sector Manager at the Carbon Trust, says part of the challenge is to get all the staff involved, rather than leaving energy management to the estate manager. As with homes, schools and commercial buildings, the staff at hospitals who are there day in day out can make a big difference to their impact on the environment.
changing behaviour, cutting emissions
Changing the way people behave is one way of cutting emissions in the workplace, according to Chris Large. Chris manages Global Action Plan’s Environment Champions programme, working with businesses to reduce their impact on the environment. He recruits volunteer Champions from across an organisation to help identify how changes can be made. The Champions come up with ways of persuading their colleagues to save energy, recycle more and use fewer resources. They audit environmental impacts across the business, looking at energy use, lights left on, waste and recycling rates. ‘Champions think of things that people can do to make a difference,’ Chris explains. ‘It can be really simple guidance, such as how to print double-sided, or how to spell-check before your print.’
Some offices have introduced rewards for people who turn off their computers at the end of the day; others issue parking-ticket style warnings to those who forget. Champions also work on ways to get their message across. Knowing your office throws away a stack of paper higher than Big Ben can motivate people to think before they print, Chris says.
Three to four months into the project, the Champions carry out a follow-up audit to see what they have achieved.
And the results? Staff at the Britannia Building Society’s London head office, to take one example, boosted paper recycling by 59 per cent; in the Leek office, staff saved £3,000 on fuel bills. A survey of employees’ attitudes at Britannia’s Leek office found that nearly three-quarters claimed to have changed their habits at work as a result of the scheme, and nearly a third said they had also changed what they do at home.
a degree cooler - London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is one of 48 universities so far taking part in a government-sponsored effort to curb the carbon impact of getting a degree in the UK.
With more than 170,000 square metres of floor space and 40 properties around the capital the LSE is energy-hungry: in 2006/07 its energy budget was some £2.5 million for gas, oil and electricity. The use of renewable electricity in many buildings has already reduced the greenhouse gas emissions significantly to 6,920 tonnes in 2007 and numerous energy efficiency projects underway which shave another 1,000 tonnes off that.
The Higher Education Carbon Management Scheme, supported by the Carbon Trust, offers institutions advice on cutting waste, energy, emissions – and bills. And it seems to be working: the universities taking part in 2006 generated a saving of 55,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and £3 million.
LSE’s Environmental Manager, Victoria Hands says: ‘The School is looking at all areas of activity and involving a broad range of stakeholders to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Its new Academic Building – designed to achieve an ‘excellent’ rating by the Building Research Establishment’s environmental method (BREEAM) – incorporates a number of energy-saving features. For starters they didn’t simply bulldoze the old building and start again, with all the new materials and waste that would imply: parts of the old building have been re-used with the foundation, the façade and the structure reintegrated into the design. A ground-source pump extracts cold water from an aquifer approximately 75 metres deep to provide comfort cooling to teaching rooms and lecture theatres. The basement houses recycling facilities and secure bicycle parking, showers and lockers. A highly efficient boiler has replaced the 1980s model, making a significant impact on energy consumption. Elongated windows on the lower floors and an atrium allow lots of daylight in, reducing the need for electric light, which is further controlled by movement detectors. Offices and seminar rooms have adjustable fan units which may be turned off if windows are open. Lecture theatres and classrooms have air quality and temperature sensors to regulate heating or cooling. Solar thermal collectors on the roof will supplement hot water requirements. The roof has also been strengthened to support two wind turbines that may be installed with the appropriate planning permission. A rooftop garden attracts birds and insects.
LSE has adopted sustainable and renewable energy measures throughout its buildings. New monitoring systems regulate indoor temperatures providing heating and cooling in the most efficient way. These systems are kept at a minimum during holidays. A software programme controls energy consumption in many buildings and halls of residence.
Director of planning and development, Julian Robinson, says he’s proud to be working for an organisation that is serious about its wider environmental obligations. He sees the new academic building setting a benchmark ‘which we will expect to exceed on our next major building project’.
a healthy approach to cutting emissions
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London spends more than £10 million a year on energy – so finding ways to cut consumption made financial sense as well as helping to cut carbon emissions.
Working with the Carbon Trust, the two hospitals, which treat 750,000 patients every year, aim to knock a fifth off their carbon emissions, with savings of 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide already identified.
Good housekeeping and better energy awareness among the 9,500 staff will help reduce energy use, says David Porter, Head of Estates Management at Guy’s and St Thomas’. But the Trust is also investing in improved technology to boost efficiency.
Staff are encouraged to switch off lights, recycle more and think about energy use as they go about their jobs, with posters around the sites and energy-saving messages on the Trust’s intranet. Staff energy reps meet regularly to come up with new ideas.
A £2 million programme is upgrading lighting controls, improving insulation and fitting thermostatic valves on radiators in the hospitals, with estimated annual savings of £1 million. Maintenance staff are looking at how the hospital buildings can be run more efficiently, ensuring that ventilation systems are turned down when units are not in use. Plans to install combined heat and power on both sites will allow the hospitals to generate some of their own electricity, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions significantly.
David Porter says, ‘Everyone can make a contribution, no matter how small each individual action appears. Small changes can add up to significant amounts, both in terms of financial savings and environmental benefits.’
industry
Industry accounts for a big chunk (18 per cent) of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions; and electricity-generating power stations are responsible for a further 27 per cent. Between these two sectors, nearly half the UK’s emissions are outside the direct control of most of us.
Economic experts at the IPCC say that setting a high price for carbon would make it more attractive for industry to be more efficient. Energy-efficiency measures could create savings of 7-10 per cent without a carbon price, increasing to 23-46 per cent savings if the price of a tonne of carbon rose to US $100.
In the UK the government has so far used a number of financial regulations and incentives to get industry to change. It has sought to encourage action to cut emissions, providing advice and guidance through the Carbon Trust and Envirowise (see p.390). It has introduced a special tax – the Climate Change Levy – on the energy