By saving energy you save money, and everyone wants this. To help us achieve this we became Carbon Smart.
Syntegra Consulting achieved Silver Carbon Smart Certification (Blue, Silver Gold). The certification criterion takes into account international standards of environmental management, such as ISO 14001. Our accreditation is indicative of our effective environmental management system, and that our environmental impact is being measured and worked on to be improved.
Since our assessment to see how carbon efficient we are and becoming certified, we have received recommendations from Carbon Smart that illustrate ways in which we can diminish our environmental impact even further. These have been circulated too all employees and will be formally reviewed in the near future. Therefore by creating less carbon emissions and therefore spending less money on energy consumption/utility bills.
This is also important because of the environmental impact that carbon emissions cause. Carbon dioxide is considered a greenhouse gas and it is the largest greenhouse gas culprit (epa, 2014). Although carbon dioxide is naturally present (among soil, plants and the ocean), human activity creates carbon dioxide at a faster rate than our Earth can cope with, and thus excess levels build up.
This matters because greenhouse gases destroy the ozone layer, and with a diminished ozone layer humans are exposed to excessive levels of UV radiation, which can cause skin cancer, cataracts and general poor health. Furthermore, increased UV rays can harm crops, so there will be less crop yield and then the cost food will increase.
At Syntegra Consulting we joined/entered Carbon Smart by:
- Gather documentation as evidence of regular recycling
- Gather information of how employees travel to and from work including:
- Floor area
- Energy consumption – gas, electric, water etc
- Amount of waste
- Mode of transport
- Type of fuel
- Mileage
- Use of taxis
What are we doing now?
Modifications have been made to Syntegra House (the main office building) to reduce energy consumption and the planned future retrofit works. These modifications encompass the following.
- Upgraded lighting to energy efficient LED lighting
- Switched energy utility contracts (to a more favourable tariff rate and contract period)
- Upgrades to Boilers and heating – controls replacement and upgrade
- Adopted a best practice energy usage for all employees
- Solar Shading
- Voltage Optimization
- Energy Monitoring – Cloud based energy and water monitoring, measuring and targeting
These measures will reduce the gas and electricity consumption by circa 30%+ and save in excess of 5.3 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum.
To diminish our environmental impact even further we have circulated recommendations from Carbon Smart to all our employees and we will conduct a formal review in the near future. Finally, less carbon emissions means we will be spending less money on energy consumption and utility bills.
You too can do the same for your business: Carbon Smart
Syntegra Consulting is a leading energy consulting company in the UK – for further information regarding zero carbon buildings, energy efficiency and renewable energy investments, please telephone +44(0)8450091625 or e-mail: mail@syntegra-epc.co.uk
