Business could save £860m with behaviour change

Retail, manufacturing and administration firms could save up to £860 million in energy if a "carbon psychology" approach is taken to improve business energy management processes.

A report from Npower Business Solutions (NBS) revealed that effective behaviour change initiatives could see companies in the retail, administrative and manufacturing sectors secure a 50 per cent share of a potential £860 million windfall.

The NBS report recommends that behaviour change – which is expected to account for 18 per cent of UK energy savings by 2020 – could be vastly improved if the government and businesses put the right incentives in place.

It suggests that retail could generate 20 per cent in energy savings through behaviour change platforms. Administration and support companies could reach beyond 11 per cent in savings, while large manufacturers like Tata Steel could realise savings of just under 11 per cent.

At an event marking the launch of the report NBS carbon psychologist Phil Griffiths said: “There is a huge opportunity for bigger businesses here – and they don’t even need to invest to make substantial savings. The benefits of behavioural change on the bottom line are clear. Energy efficiency improvements result in a more motivated workforce, a positive impact on the UK balance of payments and significant emissions reductions.

“Energy efficiency is the goal and the vehicle is energy management. Modern day energy management comprises of three levers; people, process and technology, and in the UK we’ve got fantastic engineers which covers off the technology and optimisation, but there’s a need to develop.”

Griffiths noted that one company managed to generate 19 per cent in energy savings, 17 per cent of which derived from behaviour change.

A version of this article first appeared on edie.net.