Imagine how a 5% increase in sales could help you deal with some of the intense cost and resource pressures you face! The good news is that this aspiration is within your reach. If you cut your energy costs by 20%, you can gain the same bottom-line benefit as a 5% rise in sales. This can be achieved by taking a more efficient approach to how you source, use and manage energy.
Our research of over 1,000 energy decision-makers around the world found that 1-in-3 businesses are exploring how energy can lead to higher growth, greater efficiencies and reduced business risk.
This can be achieved by taking a more efficient approach to how you source, use and manage energy. In fact, our survey data shows that organisations with a well documented energy strategy are 2.5x more likely to be efficient, well run and financially robust. The Energy Opportunity report highlights how business can use four key opportunities to improve their management of energy and achieve similar outcomes.
Advances in technology and flexible finance options mean that many more organisations can take advantage of advanced energy efficiency solutions. Here's four proven opportunities to transform your energy performance:
Unlock Energy Insight - Using energy data to create deeper insights and improve operational efficiency.
Solving the challenge: Energy efficient companies understand the impact of monitoring and measuring energy consumption on operational performance improvement and cost reduction. By monitoring equipment with low-cost, wireless sensors, connected to our IoT analytics platform, customers can quickly gain deep and insightful energy analytics. Enabling them to pinpoint where energy waste is occurring and spots potential equipment failures before they happen.
Benefits: By implementing predictive analytics your business can adjust operational processes to optimise performance and turn energy visibility into cost savings. Additionally, the more you know about your energy profile, the better you can inform energy efficiency strategies and investment options.
Energy Insights in action: Ink specialist Fujifilm installed 22 sensors at a UK production facility, which uncovered two equipment faults. By remedying these issues, the company realised a £43,000 annual cost saving, achieving a return on investment within just 3 weeks.
Improve Energy Efficiency - Reduce energy costs with innovative technology and solutions.
Solving the challenge: 40% of the businesses we surveyed for our Energy Opportunity report have significantly reduced energy costs after investing in advanced energy solutions. Quick wins, such as replacing traditional light fittings with LED lighting can deliver fast cost savings.
Benefits: LED lighting is up to 90% more efficient than traditional light fittings, as well as enabling greater degree of control to deliver improved standards of lighting and reducing power consumption and reduced energy costs across the board.
LED lighting in action: We installed 5,500 LED lights at one of busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts in the UK, including movement sensors and remote-control technology. This is providing cost savings of £180k per year and the projected return on investment is six years.
Reduce your reliance on the grid with Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Solving the challenge: CHP can increase your energy resilience while reducing costs and protecting your business from volatile energy prices. 45% of energy decision-makers believe that they will experience an energy related failure within the next year. CHP can enable sites to generate power off-grid – creating a secure and low cost energy supply while providing a free and sustainable onsite heat supply.
Benefits: Using CHP on-site generation can reduce energy costs by up to 40%, and unlock greater sustainability benefits by using renewable methane rich bio-gas to fuel the CHP process. By providing a stable, secure energy supply your site resilience is enhanced, protecting you from energy supply disruption. And in combination with battery storage you maximise opportunities to generate revenue and avoid peak power costs through energy optimisation or participating in Demand Side Response programmes
CHP in action: We have supplied Cork's Rochestown Park Hotel with a combined cooling heat and power system that is protecting the business from grid outages. The trigeneration unit is delivering annual cost savings of 115k Euros, which delivered a payback on investment of approximately two years. The high efficiency system has reduced the hotel's CO2 emissions by 278 tonnes per year – a 33% decrease.
Improve sustainability with Solar and strengthen your brand reputation
Solving the challenge: Climate change threat coupled with growing consumer demand to do business with environmentally conscious brands means that organisations must explore sustainable energy solutions. Solar energy is one of the most cost effective methods of improving both financial and environmental performance.
Benefits: Reduce electricity costs by offsetting more expensive grid supplies and increase sustainability by using 100% renewable power, which will improve brand reputation. Generate revenue by selling excess power back to the grid while you improve resilience by combining solar with energy storage; and earn Demand Side Response revenue from supporting the grid.
Solar in action: We've created the UK’s largest factory-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) system for Toyota, which is powering the company's first European Model Sustainable Plant at Burnaston. The 17,000 solar panels are supplying 5% of the plant's electricity.
As the four opportunities demonstrate, there are many benefits of rethinking how you manage your energy. The most effective energy strategies look at each of these in turn, building an energy action plan that can deliver improved performance and efficiencies over the long term. With the Energy Opportunity your organisation can unlock:
Download our Energy Opportunity paper now and help your company move towards a more energy efficient future.
Sign up to receive regular updates on:
By submitting your details you agree to process your personal data by Centrica Business Solutions as described on the Privacy Policy. Centrica Business Solutions will send you a regular newsletter and other marketing material we believe is relevant. You will be able to opt out of communications from us at any time.
