Inefficient Energy Usage in the UK's Commercial Buildings costs £60m per year
Updated: Nov 11, 2020
A recent study earlier this year conducted by the Green Alliance raised a lot of questions about energy usage in commercial buildings. The report said that commercial buildings across the UK were wasting energy that could easily be avoided. Resulting in £60m of unnecessary costs. We talked about energy usage in commercial properties in a previous and it is a vital topic to talk about. It comes at a huge financial cost and also a needless cost to the environment. And could result in commercial buildings being less valued by potential investors. In this post, we will go through how the UK’s commercial buildings are racking up such needless costs, what it means for those in the commercial property industry and a simple solution to reduce needless energy usage.
Putting it in Perspective
The Green Alliance report revealed how pricey the situation really is in the UK. The City of London offices alone is the equivalent of the amount of power that could be used to power 65,000 homes and is costing companies in the city a whopping £35m per year. As if these figures weren’t frightening enough they also say that the amount of CO2 produced is around the same as 46,000 cars every year. However, it’s not just in London that needs improvement. Less than 3,300 offices in Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham waste enough energy to power more than 42,000 homes and cost them approx £25m annually in unnecessary energy bills.
Tracking Energy Is Key for Sustainability & Investment
As discussed in previous posts, using energy wisely is critical for sustainability and investment. Greener buildings are becoming more in demand due to investor interest in sustainable assets. And investment groups such as the Investment Association reflect this by demanding that every company under their management has a climate crisis plan by 2023. Also, the Committee on Climate Change said that cutting down on energy waste is critical to the UK’s goals of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The report advises companies to turn to technology to make real progress.
Making Use of Modern Technology
Senior Policy Analyst Caterina Brandmayr said: “We all work for or know businesses that waste energy, whether it’s leaving lights on at night or wasting heat. It’s hard to see why dealing with this problem isn’t yet a priority, for companies in terms of cost savings or for the government in reaching its carbon targets.” There’s a real lack of urgency and awareness of the problem, even though the solutions already exist and are ready to be implemented.
Caterina goes onto say that “Digital technology is an obvious and inexpensive way to track and control energy use, cutting business costs and carbon emissions. Cities will play a leading role in cutting emissions and would be a great place to start the UK’s business energy efficiency revolution.”
The key to managing anything whether it’s a diet, exercise or productivity is to measure it. Once you’re able to measure it you will be able to manage and improve it. The same applies to energy usage.
Start Improving Your Energy Usage Today
So there you have it, easily avoidable energy usage has quite a hefty price when it’s all added up and put into perspective. Here at ZiggyTec, we help you monitor your energy usage effortlessly and cost-effectively. Thanks to our smart IoT technology and our intuitive live software platform we have created a system that helps you to identify these avoidable energy costs easier and more effectively.
Contact us today for a free quote or learn more about monitoring your utilities
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