Go Green Bristol Guide

n Bristol
Guide
EUROPEAN UNION
Investing in Your Future
European Regional
Development Fund 2007-13
Contact us on:
01275 370850
gogreen@businesswest.co.uk
www.businesswest.co.uk/gogreen

Who we are
Introduction
Measuring your environmental impact
Utility and services traiffs
Enagement
Lighting
Information Technology
Appliances and Equipment
Industrial
Cooloing
Refrigeration
Heating
Water
Transport
Waste
Procurement
Marketing
Business West Services
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Contents

Who are we?
Go Green Bristol is part of the Improving Your Resource Efficiency service offered by Business West. It is an
environmental business advice & support project targeting Small Medium Enterprises in Bristol’s priority
areas and groups and is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Bristol City Council.
Business West dates back to 1823 when the Bristol Chamber of Commerce was first established. Today,
Business West is a private, not-for-profit organisation. It is one of the most influential business leadership
organisations in the UK representing over 6000 businesses across the Chamber of Commerce network in
Bath, Bristol and Gloucestershire. Business West provides a local access point to a host of high quality
business solutions to help business prosper and grow both here and overseas.
Introduction
This workbook is to be used both in conjunction with the Go Green workshop and also as a reference
document for you after the workshop. During the workshop you developed a greater understanding of the
positive steps your business can take to reduce its environmental impact and understand that that being
resource efficient is good for business because:
• It helps save money by reducing energy consumption, waste and water
• Going green helps win business`
• It informs marketing and PR programmes
• It helps attract and retain employees
• It is good for people, our planet and its eco-systems
How to use your workbook?
During the workshop, you would have:
• Listed the resources used by your business
• Prioritised these resources (in order of highest use/monetary cost)
• Selected 3 immediate actions to implement
Use this guide, to look up how your business can practically implement these actions.
….head to these sections
If you want to manage
these resources…
Electricity
Metering, Utility tariffs, Lighting, ICT, Appliances
and equipment, Industrial equipment, Cooling,
Refrigeration, Heating, Procurement, Processes,
Staff Engagement
Your attention is drawn to the fact that the basis of the Guide is that it should be a rapid overview of how to
improve your organisations environmental performance and commitment to good practice.
It is not possible in a single guide to cover all opportunities for greater resource efficiency associated with
operations and activities.
1

Metering, Materials, Procurement, Design,
Processes, Staff Engagement
Raw Materials
Metering, Design Processes, Staff EngagementWaste
As your business grows and evolves, use this guide to keep making environmental improvements and use
resources efficiently. Use the Plan, Do, Check, Review, detailed below to embed resource efficient practices
within your organisation.
Metering, Fuel, Procurement, Processes, Staff
Engagement
Fuel
Metering, Utility tariffs, Procurement, Processes,
Staff EngagementWater
Metering, Utility tariffs, , Heating, Industrial
equipment, Procurement, Processes, Staff EngagementGas
2

Measuring your environmental impacts
The saying goes… “You can’t manage what you don’t measure”. Studies have shown that measuring
monitoring your resource use will increase your awareness and result in average savings of 10%. Pretty
good for something that requires little or no investment! This is suitable for businesses that are responsible
for paying their utility costs and considered best practice for those who don’t (e.g. serviced offices).
Example
Company: Solicitors office in Stroud
Problem: Lack of analysis of bills meant unnecessary night time usage
35% of electricity used at night when offices empty
Causes: Computers and peripherals left switched on
Heated towel rails left on
Unnecessary cooling in the server room
Solutions: Timers for towel rails
A plan of actions for behavioural change
Results: An overall reduction in electricity use of 25%
How to measure your environmental impacts…
Why do this?Suggested Action
Provide this information to your utility providers so that you are
billed the correct amount. Often bills are based on estimates.
Remember there may be more that there may be more than one
meter for each type of fuel (gas, electricity, water, etc).
Take regular
readings of
your meters
This will allow you to examine whether there are any trends
(use your free monitor for electricity as well). You can use a
spreadsheet (we can provide a template) or free software e.g.
Energy Deck to log readings to record historic consumption.
Check whether your business:
• Is consuming resources out-of-hours(i.e. when your
premises are closed?).
• Has seasonal differences, use the data to identify normal.
use (baseline) and areas for improvement (e.g. weekend
use, switching off). For gas consumption, you might want to
compare it to the weather conditions through
Degree Day analysis.
Record meter
readings
regularly
3

A walk-around energy survey is a brief survey of all relevant
buildings. This is the primary method of assessing energy use in
an organisation. There are three key aims of the survey:
(1) Identify what equipment uses most energy within your
organisation; (2) Understand how energy-using equipment is
controlled; (3) Identify opportunities for savings.
You can do this yourself using this guide or contact
www.businesswest.co.uk/gogreen to have one of our
Environmental Advisors conduct an environmental review as
part of our 121 service.
Take a fresh
look at your
business
Use your data to better understand your resource use. Establish
your Indicators (KPIs), this will take into account busier periods
where more resources are used.
It is possible to compare you use with other businesses in the
region by joining West of England Carbon Challenge, a free
network for businesses within the region seeking to reduce
carbon emissions or use Energy Deck, a tool to upload resource
data and compare with similar industries on a global scale
normal/baseline by looking at average weekly, monthly and
annual use. Try normalising your data by aligning it with your
Key Performance.
Industry Suggested KPI
All businesses Unit of resources used/turnover
e.g. 60kWh electric/£1 turnover
Catering Unit of resources used/ covers
e.g. 4 kWh gas/cover
Hospitality Unit of resources used/bed nights
e.g. 0.2m2 water/bed night
Manufacturing Unit of resources used/widget
e.g. 10kg material/widget
produced
Tourist attraction Units of resources used/visitor
e.g. 5kg waste produces/visitor
Use your data
to
analyse
impacts
4

Using resources has an impact on the environment see this guide.
Stakeholders respond differently to the way resource use is
expressed. Finance directors, your bank might respond best to £
saved, while Resource use can be expressed as:
units used (kWh/m3); cost or carbon.
To convert resource consumption into carbon, follow this
guidance from DEFRA and this tool. To validate the carbon
footprint, it may undertaken to PAS 2050 standard (at a cost).
It can be difficult to visualise your organisations carbon footprint,
this tool from Carbon Quilt will give your emissions
some perspective.
Understand
your
environmental
impacts
There are a number of initiatives your business can join to
demonstrate its commitment to stakeholders and share best
practice to reduce environmental impacts.
Locally there is the Green Capital Pledge and the West of England
Carbon Challenge. Nationally there is the 10:10 Campaign; E2B
Pulse and plenty more.
Set targets
to improve
efficiency
Keep reviewing your data, check what works and what didn’t
and adjust your actions accordingly.
Keep making
progress
5

Utility and business service tariffs
Don’t pay more that you need to for your utilities/business services. Utility prices have and will continue
to increase. Utility costs can no longer be thought of as a fixed cost to the business.
Example
Business: Theatre
Problem: End of contract led to increase in standing charge from £20 to £360
per month
No noticed for several months, costing £3,000
Cause: Lack of attention paid to bills
Solution: Signed up for new contract
Result: Standing charge reduced to a reasonable level
Although utility costs are increasing, there is still potential
to obtain competitive tariffs. There are multiple tariffs, with
various standing charges, availability charges and cost per kWh.
If you are confused, use an energy broker, they are usually free
as they collect their fee as commission from the utility provider.
Utility tariffs are complex and can be determined by the price
per unit, service charge, climate change levy, capacity.
Businesses can easily be put onto the wrong contract, and
unlike domestic tariffs, once a business has entered a tariff it
is unable to move until the next contract renewal date. Make
sure you respond to any renewal letter, if you don’t, you will
be automatically rolled onto a new contract, often with much
higher charges.
Home workers can use domestic comparison websites such as
U-Switch. Businesses on commercial tariffs will need to use an
energy broker.
Shop
around for a
competitive
deal on your
utilities
How can your business pay less…
Suggested Action Why do this?
6

This is also known as collective buying whereby a group of
businesses/organisations purchase products and services at
significantly reduced prices on the condition that a minimum
number of buyers would make the purchase. This is suitable for
businesses belonging to trade associations.
Group
purchasing
There are a number of green tariffs available where electricity
generated is from renewable sources.
Many business services e.g. web hosting, banking, insurance,
telecoms will have a sustainable/green option.
There are a number of Green Energy providers, the market
leaders are Ecotricity and Good Energy (both South West
companies). The drawback is that this option is only viable to
smaller businesses and when calculating carbon footprint, it is
not recognised as carbon neutral by DEFRA.
When procuring green business services, take care that they
are not presenting you with Green Wash
(see communication section).
If having green
credentials are
important to
you
Maximise the use of cheaper rates (e.g. night time rates).
Consider re-scheduling work activity so that your business
makes use of cheaper rates if possible. Re-schedule work
activity so that the maximum daily demand is not exceeded.
Use your
monitoring
data to make
use of cheaper
tariffs
Maximise the use of cheaper rates (e.g. night time rates).
Consider re-scheduling work activity so that your business
makes use of cheaper rates if possible. Re-schedule work
activity so that the maximum daily demand is not exceeded.
Make site wide
savings - Power
Factor
7

Enagement
Don’t do it on your own! To maintain enthusiasm and to keep developing fresh ideas to implement in
your business…it’s always worth asking others.
Example
Company: Business West
Problem: Engagement required from staff in all areas of the business
Cause: Company wanted accreditation to ISO 14001
This requires continual environmental improvement
Solution: A Green Team was formed, with members from different departments
Regular meetings set up for team members
Results : Team has provided a number of ideas that have been implemented
How to measure your environmental impacts…
Getting everyone involved in the project will lead to lasting
behavioural change, forming common bonds between all
employees, and creating enthusiasm to work smarter and travel
less. To enthuse your employees, you need to not only
talk-the-talk but also walk-the-walk.
Lead by
example
These are the people within your business that use your
resources, are likely to know where waste is and will be
responsible for implementing change. Typically improved staff
awareness to achieve greater energy efficiency results in a
10% saving. Here is how you can set up a Green Team. Involve
employees across the business e.g. make sure your receptionist
knows all your efforts it as they are often the first to be asked,
have your sales team use sustainability to sell your products
and services.
Get employees
on board
8

Developing an Environmental Policy demonstrates to
stakeholders that your business recognises that its activities have
an impact on the environment and is committed to prevent,
reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural
resources. Ideally it should be like a company mission statement
in that it’s set on one sheet of A4 paper and contains the key
commitments the policy undertakes.
A policy should address the following key areas:
• An introduction to the business.
• State company commitment.
• Clearly identify and specify environmental impacts
• Clearly identify the actions to be taken to manage
environmental impacts. Keep it realistic, achievable and
relevant to your business activities and practices. All goals
should be measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound
(i.e. we will do x by y date).
• Be signed and dated by the director and communicated to the
relevant stakeholders e.g. employees, contractors, suppliers.
Produce an
Environmental
Policy
An extension to embedding environmental best practice would be
to have an Environmental Management System (EMS). Typically
organisations will develop to the ISO 14001 standard although
there are other standards available including BS8555 and EMAS.
An EMS requires an organisation to put controls in place
to manage its environmental impacts in a comprehensive,
systematic, planned and documented manner.
This should follow a Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle that includes the
organisational structure, planning and resources for developing,
implementing and maintaining policy for
environmental protection.
It will demonstrate to stakeholders (e.g. staff, customers,
investors) that the organisation is committed to continually
improve its environmental performance with a robust system
that has been externally verified.
It should add value and add confidence to the organisation and
facilitate during the PPQ stage when tendering for contracts.
Develop an
Environmental
Management
System
9

There are a number of initiatives for businesses to engage and
share best practice.
Bristol Green Capital – This is a pledge for business committed to
reduce their environmental impact. This is a free, non-committal
initiative which also offers informal networking sessions via the
Monthly Mingle.
West of England Carbon Challenge – This is a club for organisations
based in the West of England to reduce their carbon emissions. It
is a free initiative and members are invited to attend best practice
sessions with guest speakers from exemplar organisations e.g. O2.
Low Carbon South West –This is a membership organisation
membership organisation focused on promoting the growth of the
environmental technologies and services sector in the South West
of England. They offer a number of best practice and networking
opportunities.
Avon & Somerset Energy & Environmental Management Group –
This is a networking group for individuals tasked with managing
an organisations energy and environmental impacts. There is a
small cost associated with this group.
Severnet – This is collaboration between businesses in Avonmouth
and Portbury to share best practice in terms of resource efficiency
E2B Pulse – This is a UK wide on-line network for organisations
looking to reduce their carbon emissions.
Planet Positive – This is a UK wide initiative for businesses to
adopt good sustainability practices in 7 days.
Engage
with other
organisations
If your business has a challenge it is likely that this has been
experienced and dealt with by businesses attending the Go
Green Bristol workshops. Use our Social Media sites to share
best practice and ask questions.
Interact with us (and other businesses taking part in Go Green
Bristol) via Linked In, Facebook and Twitter (@GoGreenBristol),
post photos and stories showcasing your sustainable activities.
Engage
Go Green Bristol
business
10

Lighting
Lighting plays an important part in creating the right atmosphere in a business.
• Retail — lighting helps focus attention on key displays
• Hospitality — lighting helps to create the desired ambiance for guests
• Office based companies — lighting can be used to make a reception feel welcoming, provide attractive
workstations and create a professional feel for staff and visitors
• Industrial sectors — providing appropriate lighting for each task minimises hazards and leads to
peak productivity
Lighting can account for up to 40% of electricity use in buildings, it is possible to cut lighting bills by up to
30% through a variety of energy saving measures. You can’t do without lighting, but the actions below will
show you ways to save on lighting energy use.
Example
Company: Wooden pallet and crate manufacturer
Problem: The 24hr nature of the business leads to high lighting costs
Lighting electricity costs £17,000 per year plus maintenance costs
Cause: The lighting that is currently used is old and inefficient, using about
450W per fitting
Solution: Installation of low energy induction lighting, uses about 125W per fitting
Result: Annual electricity savings of more than £10,000
Payback period of around one year when maintenance considered
How can you light your business efficiently?
Energy savings of up 60% on lighting costs can be achieved by
ensuring lights is only turned on when needed. This can be
achieved wither by a very engaged employees who remember
to turn off lights, using timer switches or occupancy or
daylight sensors. For guidance on how to implement these
improvements see here.
Switch off
un-necessary
lights
11

Due to the changes in use over time of buildings, the lighting
design often does not reflect the actual demand for lighting.
Check your
lighting design
Always replace or remove fluorescent tubes that are not
working. Significant amounts of energy will still be consumed
even when the failed tube is not lit, so removing it is important.
Keep lamps and luminaires clean to maintain light output.
Failure to do so can reduce light output by 50% over 3 years.
Good
maintenance
It is estimated that up to 75% of buildings have outdated
lighting which is not only inefficient in its energy consumption
but is also not providing the optimum visual environment for its
occupants. See this guide on how to retrofit lighting.
If your business has… Swap to …
Fluorescent tubes above 35W
(look at the label on the end)
or 38mm and 25mm thickness
More efficient T5 tubes
(16mm) using a conversion kit,
or better still, LED tubes for
60% saving on running costs.
For more information, see this
guide.
Halogen spot lights LED equivalents for an 80%
saving on running costs. When
selecting LED lamps ensure
take care with the colour
temperature as cheaper lamps
can appear to give a blue light.
Select Warm White or Daylight
lamps. See this guide.
High bay lighting
Fluorescent equivalents for a
50% saving on running costs,
or convection lights for a 60%
reduction.
Install efficient
lamps
12

When re-lamping also consider the fitting. The type of
luminare/fitting used impacts the amount of light reflected
into a space. Not all of the light emitted by the lamp is emitted
by the luminaire is due to losses caused by inter-reflection and
absorption. The more reflective the fitting the less lamps are
needed to light the space.
Poor fittings Good fittings
Install reflective
light fittings
Think
Lighting
13

Information Technology
Information Technology is a significant part of your business budget, from the regular costs of purchasing
equipment, to the ongoing costs of energy, support and training. There are also environmental costs;
Information technology produces the same carbon emissions as the aviation industry, electronic waste is
the fastest growing source of municipal waste in the world, and these environmental footprints are
growing rapidly as the use of computers permeates our society. There are a number of opportunities to
reduce environmental impacts, as detailed in this guide.
Example
Company: Business West
Problem: Computer equipment being left on overnight and on weekends
Electricity use much higher than necessary
Cause: Staff behaviour
Solution: Green Team devised innovative plan
At end of day, a chocolate would be placed on each computer shut
down correctly
This was repeated every day for a week
Result: 100% of equipment correctly shut down at end of the week
Lasting impact, a month later 90% still shut down
Created a discussion in the office regarding efficiency and energy usage
How can you light your business efficiently?
IT equipment is designed for the world market and is therefore
designed to function in climates far warmer and far more humid
than in the UK.
The ideal temperature in an IT room is between 20 and 25 °C.
25, although many manufacturers are now producing equipment
that can tolerate higher temperatures than previously (35 ºC)
which will reduce the need for artificial cooling. For further
information, see this guide.
Place IT
equipment
in naturally
ventilated
areas
14

PCs have power management features that are often disabled by
default; turn them on for PCs throughout the organisation and
you’ll get immediate savings in energy costs. Screensavers can
use as much or even more power than your PC during normal
use; instead of a screensaver set your monitors to go into stand
by when not in use.
It is recommended that:
• Monitor/display sleep: Turn off after 15 minutes or less
• Turn off hard drives/hard disk sleep: 15 minutes or less
• System standby/sleep: After 30 minutes or less
Automated
Power
Management
Technical solutions are useful but user behaviour is a crucial
piece of the jigsaw that should not be forgotten.
Consider the following:
• Switching off – Encourage all employees to turn off their
computers and monitors and unplug laptop and phone
chargers when not in use.
• Turn off after a period of inactivity.
• Printing – Set printers to duplex and greyscale print
by default.
• Email Use –Ensure users complete regular housekeeping
of their email folders such as deleting unwanted emails,
removing attachments from emails and emptying out the
deleted items folder the storage required for email will
be reduced.
• File Housekeeping – Encourage employees to review the files
they have stored on a regular basis and deleting unwanted or
duplicated files to reduce server storage.
Raise user
awareness
There are several IT tools that enable people to meet and work
together without physically being in the same office or country,
therefore reducing the need for business travel.
These include: audio conferencing; video conferencing;
on-line meeting/web conferencing; emailing and home/remote
working. Head to Anywhere Working for further advice. Head to
Anywhere Working for further advice.
Using ICT
to reduce
environmental
impacts
15

Thin Clients are small, devices that communicate with a central
server giving a computing experience that is largely identical
to that of a PC with the need for a hard drive. Less resources
are needed, so less electricity is consumed (90% reduction). If
you consider a typical office in a standard SME in any industry
sector, which may have 50 traditional PCs and 3 servers
acting as domain/file/print, mail and database servers, the
energy savings is expected to result in a 10 tonne CO2 saving
and £1500 from electricity costs. Calculate energy saving for
replacing PCs with Thin Client.
Replace fleets
of PCs with
Thin Client
IT uses a number of rare materials. The Green Electronics
Council launched the Electronic Product Environmental
Assessment Tool (EPEAT), a certification programme to help
institutions buy the greenest computers and monitors possible.
Energy Star is a label which can be found on many computers,
monitors, printers and other consumer electronic (CE) products
to rate their energy efficiency. It is a move towards a uniform
set of standardising the ICT and CE industries, but it is still only
a voluntary scheme.
Procurement
of new
equipment
Server virtualization allows users to maximize server space.
Energy savings arise as a number of computing programs may be
hosted on a server which reduces the need for several servers.
Calculate the energy saving from virtualisation using this tool.
Virtualisation
16

Appliances and equipment
All businesses have appliances and equipment e.g. IT equipment, kettles, lamps, water coolers, vending
machines. Often, no individual has overall responsibility for these appliances and consequently they are left
on permanently, using energy and resources un-necessarily. Switch off computers and printers at night and
weekends can reduce consumption by 75% per year that is almost £50 per year!
How can your business/organisation use appliances/equipment more efficiently?
Switching off unused equipment will save you energy and
money. This means at the socket, especially overnight, at
weekends and during holidays. Identify who in your business
“first in” and “last out” and make sure that they are aware of
your switch off policy.
Switching off overnight and at weekends can save you:
Photocopier = £42 & 183kg CO2 a year
10 Computers = £200 & 860kg CO2e a year
Putting stickers next to switches to remind people to turn them
off can be hugely effective. These are used by many companies,
including Osborne Clark, Vassal Centre and Business West. You
can produce your own, or download ready made notices from
the Carbon Trust.
Use reminders
to encourage
switching off
Although as a business you can rely on you and your employees
to turn off equipment when not in use, it is often forgotten.
Use technology to make taking the preferred action the default.
Consider installing timer switches so that appliances are turned
off after a certain period of non-use or are turned on and off at
certain times of the day. These can be purchased from DIY stores.
Automate
switching off
17

To embed best practice, celebrate best practice.
Examples of recognition include:
• Leaving chocolates on pc’s that have been turned off at the
end of the day
• A treat to the office with the lightest bin
• A treat for the employees that car share
Consider entering awards to commend your efforts. See this
example from Poco, who won a Sustainable Restaurant award.
Upcoming awards are regularly uploaded onto our twitter
account @GoGreenBristol.
Reward good
behaviour
When replacing equipment, take care to consider the energy
efficiency and the associated running costs.
If the equipment/appliance is of a commercial nature, use The
Energy and Water Technology List as guidance to select efficient
equipment. If listed, your business can claim Enhanced Capital
Allowance as a tax incentive. If the equipment/appliance is of
domestic nature, use its energy rating as guidance.
Purchase
efficient
equipment
18

Industrial Equipment
If energy efficiency investments are assessed and implemented properly, the returns can be high and the
technical risks relatively low. Such investments can help reduce energy consumption and may also have
other positive implications, such as improved product quality.
Example
Company: W H Bence Coachworks Ltd, a specialist vehicle manufacturer.
Problem: High annual energy spend of around £24,000, electricity and for 79% of
the overall energy cost
Cause: Compressed air system having leaks
Solution: Repair compressed air leaks could be completed by in house staff
Result: An annual saving of over £4000
How can your business/organisation use industrial equipment more efficiently?
Compressed air is an expensive form of energy, for every 100
units of electricity which go into the compressor, only 10 units
are available for use. The rest is rejected as waste heat. The
following guide details how to implement savings through:
user training; fixing leaks; improving air delivery; managing
air pressure; controlling demand; Improving intake air quality,
generation and control and heat recovery.
Optimise
compressed air
use
Over a 10 year period, 99% of the cost associated with motors
and drives is associates with the running costs; only 1% is
attributed to the capital. Motors have become increasingly more
efficient, especially at the lower scale.
Consider replacing old motors with newer models, see this
Motors and Drives Guide for further guidance.
Installing a Variable Speed Drive will provide energy saving from
slowing down the motor load depend on the characteristics of
the load being driven. See this Variable Speed Drive Guide.
Motors and
Drives
19

Cooling
Air conditioning is an expensive way of keeping buildings cool, especially as fuel prices rise. The energy
costs and associated CO2 emissions of a typical air-conditioned building are 30% higher than a naturally
ventilated building. It is also more likely to have increased capital and maintenance costs. Carbon emissions
are not only associated with electricity costs but also from the refrigerant gases.
Example
Company: Office based
Problem: Office overheating in the summer
Extensive use of air conditioning
Cause: Building has long windows in all walls
Solution: Solar film was fitted on all of the windows
Result: Air conditioning use reduced by 50%
How can your business / organisation use cooling more efficiently?
Place heat-emitting equipment in a separate, naturally ventilated
area to reduce heat gains. As your business installs more efficient
equipment, less waste heat will be generated, reducing the need
for cooling.
Passive Cooling
(reduce internal
heat gains)
Air conditioning is an expensive way of keeping buildings cool,
especially as fuel prices rise. A number of actions may be taken
to reduce building heat gains and cooling requirement.
Potential solutions include:
• Installing solar shading, blinds (internal and external),
see this guide.
• Natural ventilation (opening windows).
Passive Cooling
(reduce external
heat gains)
20

Encourage staff involvement by demonstrating how they can
be more in control of their own environment. Explain how
thermostats operate and provide guidance on recommended
operating temperatures, as well as guidance on how to operate
heating or cooling units correctly.
Display instructions on individual units and ensure that remote
controls are accessible. Ensure building users keep windows
closed when air conditioning is on.
Reduce air con
demand
Turning air conditioning thermostats as low as they can go does
not cool the building more quickly. Instead, the temperature
drops at the same rate but then overshoots, using more energy
than necessary and making it uncomfortable for occupants. If
controls are not coordinated, the temperature could even go low
enough for the heating system to be switched on. Both systems
then operate at the same time using un-necessary energy. Set
thermostats correctly and as a last resort, protect thermostats to
prevent tampering.
Ensure
thermostat
is not set at
too low a
temperature
Leaving air conditioning on overnight does not reduce energy
costs due to required temperature being maintained. Buildings
only need a fraction of overnight energy to reach adequate
temperatures for the start of the day.
Switch off
when building
is not in use
Maintain your air-conditioning system regularly to help ensure
it operates as efficiently as possible. Poor maintenance can
result in 10% losses of refrigerant gases which have high global
warming potential and carbon emissions. See this guide.
Maintain
equipment
21

Refrigeration
Up to 20% can be cut in many refrigeration plants through actions that require little or no investment.
Environmental impacts associated with refrigeration include electricity consumption, loss of global warming
refrigeration gases and disposal.
Example
Company: Golf Club
Problem: Chiller unit in cellar not working efficiently
Cause: Chiller unit old and in need of replacing
Solution: A new efficient unit was installed
Result: Electricity use to keep the cellar cool reduced by 40%
Payback period for the new unit was about 2 years
How can your business / organisation use refrigeration more efficiently?
Get to know your system controls. Most refrigeration systems
are automatic, with controls that switch the compressors and
fans on and off. Basic controls work off a thermostat, while more
advanced controls monitor factors such as the cooling load, the
build-up of ice, and weather conditions.
Optimise your
controls
Only refrigerate your product, space or process where you really
need to.
Many applications (such as factory production areas) only
require refrigeration at certain times. No matter how efficient
your refrigeration system is, it will still use energy, so if you don’t
need refrigeration, turn it off.
Where refrigeration is required, keep it at the highest possible
temperature. Turning up the thermostat will reduce the load on
the refrigeration system and cut energy costs.
Reduce your
load
22

Refrigeration is expensive. Try to:
• Contain it as much as possible. Keep cold room doors closed,
and keep seals in good repair.
• Use strip curtains or air-locks, and make sure that insulated
rooms are properly air tight.
• Invest in sound pipe insulation.
• Insulation that is badly applied and maintained adds to your
energy costs, through lost cooling capacity and reduced
compressor efficiency.
Reduce heat
gains
Good housekeeping includes:
• Don’t overstock cabinets.
• Keep air grilles clear.
• Close blinds and night covers.
• Close doors and maintain door seals.
See this Refrigeration guide for Catering for more tips.
Practice good
house keeping
If you are investing in a new refrigeration system, ask the
contractors for a high-efficiency option. Read this guidance on
selecting new equipment. New equipment may be eligible for
the Enhanced Capital allowance too.
Replace old
equipment with
more efficient
models
23

Heating
Getting heating right not only reduces your costs but also makes a more comfortable working environment.
These actions are suitable for all businesses that occupy premises.
Example
Company: Rugby Club
Problem: High heating costs
Cause: Bolier old and in need of replacing
Solution: A new efficient unit was installed
Result: Gas use to keep the cellar cool reduced by 35%
Payback period for the new unit was about 3 years
How can your business / organisation use heating efficiently?
Heating costs can increase by 30% or more if the boiler is poorly
operated or maintained. Ensure boilers are serviced at least
annually and adjusted for optimum efficiency. Get in touch with
a heating engineer and schedule a boiler. Make sure they are
registered with Gas Safe.
Undertake
regular boiler
servicing
Simultaneous heating and cooling wastes energy as both
systems “fight” each other. Set the controls a “dead band”
of 5⁰C between heating and cooling and timers or occupancy
detectors on fans to avoid the systems competing against each
other. Consider fitting de Stratification fans to areas where there
are high ceilings to effectively blow the heat back down to the
working level which could save up to 25% on your heating costs.
Reduce heating
demand
Reducing ON time by 2 hours per day saves around 10% in
running costs. The trick is to do this without reducing comfort
levels. Does your boiler allow you to control start times? If
not, consider installing a 7 day timer so that the heating may
be timed according to building occupancy. Better still consider
installing an Optimum Start timer. For further guidance, refer to
this Heating Control Guide.
Boiler and
heating system
control
24

Replacing an old gas boiler (B-G) with an A-rated high-efficiency
condensing boiler and improving your heating controls will
significantly cut your heating bills - saving as much as 30% a year.
If your business has an oil, LPG or coal boiler, then it might
be worth looking into the cost of getting gas supplied, to get
cheaper fuel. Another alternative would be to select a renewable
heating system, such as a heat pump or biomass system.
Renewable Technologies are eligible for the Renewable Heat
Incentive that is payments for creating heat from renewable
sources. Renewable technologies tend to be economically viable
in properties that are off the gas grid and in well
insulated properties.
Selecting new
equipment
Recommended temperatures for workplaces are: Offices are 19
–21°C; Workshops 16°C; Stores 15°C. Often, buildings are over
heated. Reduction by 1°C can save 10% from heating bills. Reset
thermostat controls and make tamper proof and ensure that
thermostat is not near heat sources (inside or outside) and away
from draughts/near windows etc. Install thermostatic
radiator valves.
Temperature
control
Drafts can be responsible for around 15% of the heat in the
property being lost. For further guidance, refer to this
Draft Proofing Guide.
Simple fixes are:
• Doors (bottom) - Fix a brush strip to the base of the door. The
tough plastic flexible bristles maintain a seal reducing
heat losses.
• Window/Doors (gaps) - 1.5mm to 5mm gap install a Rubber
seal; 1.5mm to 5mm, install a foam seal; and gaps of more
than 5mm Rubber blades. These can be purchased from DIY
stores.
• Roller Doors –Consider installing rapid roll doors (Average
cost c. £8 – 10k). Typically, costs are recouped within 6 years.
A low cost alternative is to install PVC thermal curtains to
reduce air change and heat loss.
Reduce drafts
25

The graphic below, illustrates the various opportunities to
improve insulation within a building. For further guidance,
see this guide.
Insulate
26

Water
Many organisations pay higher water costs than necessary. Investing a little time and money in a simple
water management plan could save you money and reduce your water consumption by up to 80%.
Example
Company: Printing company
Problem: Overuse of water in toilets
Cause: Urinals flushing on a trickle system
Solution: A control valve such as a Cistermiser was fitted
Result: Water use in toilets reduced by 70-80%
How can your business / organisation use water efficiently?
If your bills change from one period to the next and there
haven’t been any changes on site, think about why they would
have changed - do you have a leak somewhere? Is somebody
else using your water supply? A simple way to check for leaks or
unauthorised use is to take meter readings over periods when no
water should be being used, this could be over the weekend
or overnight.
Keep an eye on
your bills
Think about where most of the water is used in your business
- these are the key areas to target to reduce your consumption
and your bill. It may help to draw a site plan with the water
used in different areas of your activities. Carrying out a simple
water balance in the company will show whether what you use
matches up to what you are being billed for.
Understand
your business
Make sure your employees fully understand the importance
of water efficiency and try to influence their behaviour.
Draw attention to the sensible use of water in kitchen areas
and toilets, this alone will have an impact on your bill. Your
employees may also be able to suggest ideas for reducing water
in your business and operations work.
Engage your
employees
27

Simply having the right fittings and appliances will save huge
amounts of water. Try to invest in water saving products such as,
cistern displacement devices, restrictor valves, urinal controls,
tap controls. These products are eligible for the Enanced capital
allowance should they be listed on the Water Technology List.
Fit water saving
products
Collecting water in water butts or from large areas such as
roofs or car parks reduces the need for mains supply water for
watering plants or washing vehicles.
These collect rainwater from roofs or large paved areas such as
car parks, or even flushing toilets.
Rainwater
Harvesting
This involves using wastewater from washroom basins and
showers, then using it for flushing toilets or outside watering.
Grey water
recycling
28

Transport
All businesses have transport requirements, be that travel to visit clients, customer travel, employee travel
and the transport of goods. As with all energy costs, travel costs continue to increase. The environmental
impact associated with travel is from green house gas emissions from fuel combustion. Measures can be
taken to reduce costs. Travel is often a major business expense, so finding alternatives will save money
immediately. Transport makes up around 1/5th of the UK’s overall carbon emissions and produces harmful
pollutants. Here is some practical advice to help you reduce travel costs and environmental impact.
Example
Company: Steve Gregor Heating and Plumbing, Heating engineers
Problem: High diesel costs for fleet of vans
Cause: Poor route planning
Solution: Software installed to manage routes
Result: A 15% reduction in fuel usage
How can your business / organisation transport efficiently?
Use IT to reduce the need to travel. Cloud-based systems can
ensure that documents and emails can be accessed remotel.
More than that, platforms like Skype and Facetime can easily be
harnessed to combat any physical distance that could hamper
interaction / idea-swapping with colleagues. Calculate the
potential savings with Anywhere Working and see this guide,
and tips and Encourage people to change the way they travel.
Investigate
alternatives
to travel
and flexible
working
Travel is expensive, to reduce costs and environmental impact,
consider these:
• Look to join up travel journeys
• Investigate alternative modes (e.g. bike, walk, public
transport)
• Where road travel is necessary, plan the route to avoid
un-necessary travel
• Combine short trips as cold starts use more fuel so it pays to
combine. Use a Sat Nav to prevent you from getting lost
• If your business has a fleet of vehicles, consider a fleet
management system to plan routes and monitor drivers.
Plan journeys
29

Incentives are a great way to boost the uptake and encourage
the continued use of low carbon, greener transport.
These include:
• Subsidise public transport fares
• Provide car poolers with better parking spots
• Give cyclists a 20p per mile travelled
• Transport Direct compares emissions created by different
modes of transport
Bristol businesses can access FREE advice and grants for
sustainable travel planning via Local Sustainable Transport Fund.
Incentivise
low emission
alternatives
(walking, cycling,
public transport)
Consider putting your drivers on an driver training courses
available, these can reduce fuel use by up to 6%, or follow these
economic driving tips.
If you use a
vehicle
Consider alternative modes of transport for local deliveries e.g.
by bike. Within a 35 mile radius, electric vehicles may provide
a viable solution, for advice, see Source West. For deliveries
further afield, consider freight consolidation, this is when
deliveries to the same destination are sent together, resulting in
lower costs and fuel consumption Local Sustainable Transport
Fund can provide further guidene.
Deliveries
30

Waste
Modern disposable culture produces huge amounts of waste every year. The average office worker uses
20,000 sheets of paper a year and generates 1 tonne of waste. There are financial and environmental
benefits to reducing waste. The costs of landfill are increasing, so there’s a strong financial incentive to
minimise waste. Landfills produce and release significant quantities of methane into the atmosphere, a
potent greenhouse gas that has a major impact on climate change. Here are some actions your business
can take to make a positive impact right away:
How can your business / organisation transport efficiently?
Example
Company: TJL Industries, Gloucestershire-based UPVC recycling and processing firm
Problem: Unable to fully recycle all materials
Cause: Limited space to store the windows and doors prior to processing and the
resulting components after processing
Solution: Purchasing a presizer to process larger items and a granulator to de-bulk
waste to free up space in the yard and increase production.
Result: UPVC recycling has peaked at 50 tonnes per month and resulted in an
additional turnover of £25,000.
If your business or organisation produces or handles waste
(this includes importing, producing, carrying, keeping or treating
waste; dealers or brokers who have control of waste, and
anyone responsible for the transfer of waste), you must take all
such measures as are reasonable in the circumstances to
prevent waste, and apply the waste hierarchy when you transfer
waste.
Further guidance on your duty of care is available here and your
duties are set out at in Regulations 12, 15 and 35 of the Waste
(England and Wales) Regulations 2011. For guidance specific to
your business size and industry, use this tool from WRAP.
Know
your legal
obligations
31

The most effective way to cut down on waste is to produce less
waste to begin with. This includes: avoidance (buying fewer
items, reducug process waste or using less material per unit);
reduction (keeping products for longer, designing them o they
last longer) and reuse (selling and buying used items).
This can be applied to your office by:
• Setting your office printers to print double sided as a default
setting. This is proven to reduce paper use by 30%.
• Changing font can reduce your ink usage considerably. For
example, Arial uses 30% less ink than Times New Roman.
• Going digital. Contact your suppliers and other people who
give you bills and ask for digital versions instead. You can
even switch to digital newspapers and magazines.
• Manage stock levels and processes to minimise
generating waste.
Waste
Prevention
This involves any recovery operation whereby materials are
reprocessed into products or materials. Examine your general
waste bin regular to ascertain your waste streams. Materials
that are widely recycled include: metals, glass, paper, card,
wood, plastics. Consult your waste management company for
details. They will specify whether require the materials to be
segregated or co-mingle. For large amounts, there is scope to
sell the waste to generate additional revenue. See the
NetRegs - Waste Directory to find recyclers in your local area.
To introduce recycling in your office:
• Make your recycle system simple to use to ensure that the
maximum amount of material is recycled.
• Ensure each bin is clearly identified with bright colour coding
and with pictures of items that can be recycled.
• Remove personal bins - It’s a great way to encourage people
to use the recycling area.
• This may seem an inconvenience for people, so let them
know why the change is being made and make sure your
recycling system is operating smoothly first!
Recycle
32

This includes, checking, cleaning or repairing operations by
which products or components of such products have become
waste can be re-sued without any other reprocessing.
This can be applied to your office by:
• Purchasing and donating second hand furniture
• Donating used IT equipment to the Bristol Computer
Re-Use scheme
• Reusing old printed sheets that have only one side printed on
as note paper.
Locally, reusable materials may be donated to Childrens
Scrapstore, read how Trunki uses this service. Should you to
design your product, service to use materials more efficiently,
consider circular economy thinking, the Design Program and
Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network
can help your business to implement these measures. For
inspiration, read how Interface Floors changed its business
model from linier to circular.
Reuse
This is a process whereby the waste is used as a fuel for energy
production e.g. waste to energy or anaerobic digestion. There
is scope for Bristol food waste producing business to dispose
food waste at Geneco, the anaerobic digester at Avonmouth.
The following waste management companies provide a food
collection service in the Bristol area Collecteco and Bioco
Recycling and Agri Energyco.
Recovery
33

Procurement
The products and services you buy can have an enormous environmental impact. Your positive
procurement decisions can help to shape a more sustainable business environment. Use the guidance to
help you to consider the environment in your buying decisions. You can share these with the person or
team in charge of procurement in your business.
Example
Company: Stewart Investment Planning, specialist advice in green and ethical
investments.
Problem: Concern over the ethics of produce purchased.
Solution: Purchasing Fair Trade produce where possible
Result: Has received a Bronze Award in the Best Fairtrade Office category in
the South West for the last 2 years. Positive PR exposure.
How can your business / organisation manage procurement to minimise
environmental impacts?
Does my business need the product or service? Can it be
substituted for an alternative product or seek innovative
solutions if they are more sustainable?
Innovate
Defra and Zero Waste provide online courses. The Government
Buying Standards provide specific best practice advice on a
range of products. To understand the environmental impacts
associated with purchased items, refer to this guide from the
Environment Agency.
Raise awareness
amongst staff that
have purchasing
responsibilities
34

Sustainable procurement involves actively purchasing
products that:
• Consume less energy
• Consume less raw material and produce less waste, such as
packaging
• Help the development of small producers (fair trade)
• Are manufactured in a way that is less damaging to the
environment
• Minimise the overall carbon footprint
For example, 100% recycled paper emits 25%-50% less CO2e
than virgin paper. For guidance for a range of products, see this
Buying Green Guide or this label guide from DEFRA. You may
choose to purchase locally, the Bristol Good Living Guide lists
businesses that are committed to environmental improvement.
The Bristol Pound is another tool to encourage short
supply chains.
Purchase with
confidence
If your business is part of a supply chain, you may need
to demonstrate your sustainability credentials. Being a
sustainable supplier can help you to win business over less
sustainable alternatives. 8/10 consumers would, given the
choice, prefer to buy from companies that are environmentally
friendly.
A good start would be to develop an Environmental Policy.
Many tenders ask for an Environmental Management System.
Alternatively, consider obtaining sustainability certification
appropriate to your business, to make you stand out e.g. Julies
Bicycle for the Arts, Sustainable Restaurant Association or
Green Tourism Business Scheme for the hospitality industry.
Be a sustainable
supplier
35

Marketing
Communicate your Success! Communication is essential in getting the most from your efforts to GoGreen.
It helps to maintain interest internally and it is great for marketing and new business development. This
study undertaken by Deloitte shows that communicating sustainability is critical to brand building.
Example
Company: Poco, restaurant on Stokes Croft
Issue: Recognition for efforts made to reduce environmental impacts.
Solution: Entered the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s award
Result: They won the Environmental category, in doing so, they enjoyed a
great deal of publicity.
How can your business/organisation market its environmental achievements effectively?
Tell people what you’ve achieved, your stories and your aims for
the future. Businesses and consumers are increasingly interested
in doing business.
Tell people
about your
experience
Bristol is a hive of sustainability thinking in UK and Europe.
The city has been shortlisted to be European Green Capital in
2015. Winning the award will bring investment opportunities to
businesses within the city. To support the bid, visit here.
In June, Bristol is hosting Big Green Week festival, an
international festival of environmental and sustainability ideas.
They are always looking for sponsorship which offers a good
PR opportunity.
Get involved
with Bristol
initiative
36

Terms such as ‘smart’ and ‘savvy’ (rather than ‘efficient’)
can help build the esteem of particular choices. Referring to
inefficient products as ‘old-fashioned’ (rather than ‘traditional’)
can help break emotional attachments and make them seem
inferior. Proxies can help simplify technical concepts and the
language of sustainability – like talking about the number of
trees worth of CO 2 saved, rather than grams.
Language is
important
People have difficulty taking in too much information all at once.
Having a core set of messages, repeated frequently through a
range of channels, is likely to be the most effective strategy.
Consider what works best for the issue and audience you’re
trying to address.
Product labelling – labels like Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance,
Soil Association and Marine Stewardship Council provide
visual shortcuts to convey what are often quite complex ideas.
However consumers may be unsure what lies behind the labels
so it pays to choose carefully.
In-store environment – banners, knowledgeable staff, product
placement and sustainable store design.
Adverts and websites – adverts and brand websites can help
convey sustainability messages in fun, interactive ways that
bring the issues to life.
Social media – sending out messages in regular, bite-sized
chunks to Facebook groups and Twitter followers can spread the
word to a broader audience.
Short, sharp
messages
through a range
of channels
37

Communications should be:
• Positive and non-threatening – to combat fear and give hope
• Direct and immediate – to be relevant to the lives of the
audience
• Visual and imaginative – to grab people’s attention and
inspire them
• Emotional and personal – to connect with people on a
human level
See this guide from Futera or the guidance from Business in the
Community also produced a guide for Sustainable Marketing.
Get the focus
and tone right
This guide from DEFRA outlines the principles behind making
good environmental claims:
Ensure all content is relevant to the impacts of the product,
service or business, and reflects genuine benefits that are
additional to
requirements or what’s happening already;
Present claims in a truthful and accurate way, using plain
language and imagery that is relevant and not likely to be
misinterpreted by consumers;
Check all claims are robust and can be substantiated, and that
statements made about future aspirations are firmly grounded
in evidence and action.
Make credible
claims
We are always looking for examples of businesses using our
service enjoying successes by Going Green. Email us your
Interact with us (and other businesses taking part in Go Green
Bristol) via Linked In, Facebook and Twitter (@GoGreenBristol),
post photos and stories showcasing your Go Green activities.
Business West will be highlighting those businesses with stories
to tell. We have a large social media and business network and
can reach a significant audience.
Help us
promote your
business
38

The web and social media have massively increased the level
of scrutiny businesses and organisations face - not only from
traditional sources like the media and NGO s, but also from
everyday consumers. At the same time, web-based businesses
like Amazon and eBay are creating a more active role for
consumers, providing independent assurance to each other
about products, services and brands. This provides both a
challenge and an opportunity for businesses to engage more
deeply and meaningfully with consumers, in particular:
• Honesty about the challenges – accepting both businesses
and consumers are on a journey towards increased
sustainability, and having an open dialogue about the
challenges this entails.
• Creating new ideas together – taking the insights and
learnings we gain from that dialogue to build solutions,
co-create products and services, and shape new types of
marketplaces.
• Putting consumers in the driving seat – moving beyond
nudging by helping people understand what drives their own
behaviour, so they can adjust their surroundings to make
sustainable choices easier.
Deepen your
engagement
39

We hope that you found the workshop to be beneficial. Business West has a range of
services that can help your business to grow.
What it doesProgramme
Coaching covering: vision, mission, structured growth plan,
strategic marketing models.
Minimum 12 hours support; Then up to further 48 hours 50%
funded if desired.
Coaching for
High Growth
FREE
Coaching:
• Action plan to get you finance ready
• Minimum 12 hours support
• Then up to further 48 hours 50% funded if desired
Understanding
Finance for
Business
FREE
Introductory seminar
1-2-1 with adviser - business plan
Support in applying funding
Ongoing support post start up
NB not entirely free they may need to pay £500+VAT after initial
stage, membership may be included within this tbc
Ready for
Business
FREE INITIALLY
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) advisers can help exporters or
potential exporters with strategic advice, market research etc.
NB there is a charge for some services.
Business West can help with Export Docs and members get 50%
off total cost.
UK Trade &
Investment
(UKTI)
FREE INITIALLY
Business West Chamber of Commerce is the leading business
representative organisation in the Bristol city region,
representing nearly 20,000 businesses. Membership provides
local businesses with an access point for government funds
and services, links business together, challenges national and
local policy, provides business learning opportunities, business
fellowship and supports businesses to grow internationally.
Business West
Chamber of
Commerce
Business West Services
40

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