In the current economic climate business owners should be welcoming methods to cut business energy costs with open arms.

One way to cut costs is through efficiency. In recent years popular awareness of energy waste and efficiency issues has increased dramatically. Energy efficient methods and devices are seen as key to reducing household bills and helping reduce waste in the environment. Unfortunately, it seems small businesses have failed to learn these energy efficiency tricks from households which could be saving them thousands of pounds a year.

Recent EON research highlighted that a huge four million UK small businesses are missing out on £7.7bn per year because of a lack of efficient energy measures. For example, 13 per cent of small businesses admit to leaving the windows open when the air conditioning or heating is on. If you think there are roughly 4.8 million small businesses in the UK, that is a huge 624,000 who admit to a significant waste of energy. In fact, according to EON only 21 per cent of small businesses have any energy efficiency measures in place at all.

So why haven't small businesses joined the energy saving bandwagon? Firstly, it seems that some small businesses cannot immediately see how much energy they are using and what it's costing them, therefore they never get around to acting on it. Secondly, once a business has realised their problem, they then need the correct equipment to cut their energy costs. Making small changes like installing energy saving equipment, light sensors and smart meters could have a significant financial impact on energy costs and overheads. Finally, many businesses need information about the savings they will make from investing in energy saving as many believe they don't have sufficient funds to invest in this equipment.

XLN has itself worked hard to receive carbon neutral status. As part of this we strive to neutralize greenhouse gases our business emits through heating, lighting, commuting, waste and the paper we use. For instance, we try to minimise paper bills and instead encourage e-billing. The environment is good to us and with the added potential of saving a significant amount of money over a year, why shouldn't your business get more clued up on energy efficiency?

This sponsored content was provided by XLN Telecom

The Irish government has illustrated its support for the purchasing of products and services from eco-friendly suppliers by launching a green procurement plan for local authorities.

The development is designed to assist these authorities in effectively implementing sustainable purchasing policies and is hoped to boost the region's low carbon economy.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan and Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin announced details of the Green Tenders procurement plan earlier this month (January 18th) and said that the development is hoped to encourage the cultivation of green products and services. In a joint foreword to Green Tenders, the ministers explained: "Reform of the public procurement function is, and remains, driven by the need to obtain maximum value for public money in procuring works, supplies and services." This is great news for an eco-friendly printing supplier like Flyerzone which may find that its custom increases as a result.

The plan states that: "By using their purchasing power to choose, goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact, public authorities can make an important contribution towards local, national and international sustainability goals."

Ireland's public authority spending currently stands at €14bn (the equivalent of £11.7bn) and the plan is focused on eight priority areas: construction, energy, transport, food and catering services, cleaning products and services, paper, uniforms and textiles, and ICT.

In light of the fact that around four per cent of carbon emissions generated around the world come from our use of computers, a number of organisations looking to makes a difference look to improve their computer efficiency. Others choose to implement a "cycle to work" programme to allow their employees to target their own carbon footprint. However, a particularly popular method is eco-printing, which helps these organisations to build their reputation and keep their operational costs to a minimum, as well as helping to lower damage to the environment. With the supply eco-friendly products and services on the rise, supply now appears to be catching up with demand, meaning the cost of such purchases have typically shrunk as a result.

This guest article was provided by our supporter Flyerzone

The global mining industry is a significant contributor of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

New research, presented by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) at the COP17 conference in Durban last month, revealed it produced 1 gigatonne of CO2 equivalent per year, approximately 2 per cent of global energy-related GHG emissions and around the same as a medium-sized developed country such as Canada.

No question, the mining and metals industry has a responsibility to play its part in addressing climate change - now and in the years to come. However, we believe our industry can offer much of the expertise needed to tackle climate change, as well as providing many of the elements which are essential to the development of green technologies.

ICMM brings together 21 international mining and metals companies, which employ more than a third of the 2.5 million people working in the sector worldwide, as well as 31 national and regional mining associations and global commodity associations. All member companies are required to sign up to a set of performance standards based on ten sustainable development principles. ICMM's position at the heart of the industry allows us to steer debate and contribute to decision-making.

To more effectively address climate change issues our organisation has set up a dedicated climate change program covering three program focus areas: national climate policies and competiveness; land use and adaptation to the impacts of climate change; and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of net GHG activities.

Beyond that all member companies have made firm commitments: to develop GHG emission reduction strategies and implement economic emissions reductions opportunities; to ensure efficient use of natural resources; to support research and development of low GHG emission technologies; to measure progress and report results on the above commitments.
So what contribution can the industry make to the reduction of GHG emissions? Where and how is it possible to be more carbon-efficient?

First, at least half of our emissions originate from secondary sources, particularly from the power and transportation sectors. As these represent significant net costs on mining and metal operations, companies are increasingly motivated to explore ways in which energy efficiency and renewables can work to defray costs and decrease GHG emissions.

Second, minerals and metals are, in fact, required for many of today's low carbon technologies. Metals, like copper, aluminium and platinum, and non-metallurgical coal are vital for developing a renewable energy infrastructure. Photovoltaic solar panels, catalytic converters and wind turbines are just a few examples of alternative energy technologies which rely on the mining and metals industry for its product development and manufacturing.

Third, the mining and metals sector has a wealth of expert insight and guidance to offer and ICMM's climate change program provides a unique platform from which the industry can contribute to the policy design process. While an all-encompassing global policy regime and a single carbon price may still be a way off, we believe that measures such as a more standardised and transparent MRV system and effective steps on national carbon pricing are important steps towards that goal.

Undoubtedly, there is a lot of work ahead of us. Addressing climate change needs to be one of the most important parts of every mining and metals company's business strategy. It simply cannot be ignored.

But our efforts cannot stop there. Demand for commodities is predicted to increase over the coming decades. As the world moves towards a low-carbon economy it is clear that mining and metals industry is - and has to be - part of the solution.

John Drexhage is Director of Climate Change at the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM).

It is easier to get people to think about changing their behaviour when their normal routines are disrupted. Such a disruption is heading London's way during the Olympic Games. It's an opportunity that could be used to encourage employees to adopt more sustainable travel behaviours.

Research from Global Action Plan has discovered that this opportunity could potentially be missed unless companies change their current thinking from just considering the short-term implications of the Games to a longer-term more strategic view.

Over the 100 days of the London Olympics an anticipated 5.3 million visitors are expected to visit the games. On some of the busiest days this will create 855,000 games-related trips. There will be over 100 miles of roads designated as the Olympic Route Network. Some of these roads will have lanes along which only accredited vehicles will be allowed to travel, while other roads in the capital will be used for Olympic events.

Despite the best endeavors of planners, this level of activity is certain to disrupt the travel arrangements of many Londoners. The question is: Can the disruption be used to encourage more long-term sustainable travel behaviour?

The travel dilemma

Recent research by Global Action Plan with 138 organisations shows that cutting carbon emissions from travel is one of the biggest challenges they face.

Our research discovered that almost 40 per cent of respondents do not have a strategic approach to cutting travel costs and emissions. Companies' data collection is patchy at best and, if it is collected, only 1 in 5 organisations use it to encourage staff to change their behaviour. Significant barriers also exist including lack of senior leadership, the expectations of line managers and inadequate technology. These barriers mean that although policies maybe in place they are not being widely implemented.

The potential of the Games

Will the Olympics help overcome these barriers and provide the momentum for significant long-term change? The results from the Sydney Olympic games suggest that they do have the potential for stimulating action. Over the period of the Sydney games 24 per cent of employees changed their working hours and 22 per cent worked remotely. Interestingly, 27 per cent chose to take annual leave.

Transport for London is certainly doing as much as it can to help organizations cope with the period. Extensive advice is already included on their website. Particular emphasis has been placed on deliveries where guidance includes changing delivery times, consolidating orders, preemptive maintenance and co-ordinating deliveries with neighbouring firms. Over 4,000 new Barclays cycle hire docking points will also be installed and 2,000 new bikes will be provided.

The moped solution

Case studies are publicly available from companies such as Sainsbury's who acknowledge that usual methods of supplying stores and delivering to customers may not be possible. Their solutions include 'First Response Mopeds' designed to get engineers to stores rapidly in response to maintenance problems. The initiative has many potential benefits including greater efficiency, lower carbon emissions and the ability to maximise store sales. If successful, Sainsbury's will extend the idea to all stores within the M25.

Our research suggests that other organisations across London are also starting to realize the potential implications of the Games with 69 per cent believing that they will cause significant or medium disruption.

The most popular solution being considered is to allow more flexible working with 65 per cent of companies assessing this idea, rather worryingly only a quarter of them are looking to ensure that IT systems can cope with this significant change. Other popular solutions include negotiating fewer client meetings, negotiating changes with suppliers and encouraging greater use of video conferencing.

But what about the legacy?

All of these solutions are good business planning designed to address the potential travel disruption that the games might cause. However, our research shows that most companies are currently not thinking about how they can use the change to embed long-term sustainable solutions.

Only 17 per cent of companies in our survey indicated that they would use the Games as an opportunity to change employee travel habits. This is a huge opportunity that could potentially be missed and suggests that organisations need to start thinking about the legacy impact rather than focus exclusively on the immediate period of the Games.

Trewin Restorick is chief executive at Global Action Plan

This blog post is hosted in association with Global Action Plan

This year is guaranteed to deliver another record for the United Kingdom's offshore wind sector. By the end of 2012 the country will have 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind, delivering three per cent of the nation's net electricity - and in the process retain the gold medal for being world leader in offshore wind.

It is thus fitting that 2012's key world-wide offshore wind conference and exhibition is held at London's EXCEL arena, within reach of the capital's Olympic Stadium.

RenewableUK's Global Offshore Wind 2012 will bring together delegates from across the world, competing to develop the technology and supply the burgeoning offshore wind market. It will give the audience the opportunity to see what makes the United Kingdom so successful in developing this exciting new sector.

The UK has gone from two experimental near shore wind turbines in Blyth Harbour in 2001 to 487 turbines today in the Irish and North seas. But, this is just the beginning: as our most recent study of projects in construction and planning indicates, we can expect 8GW by 2016 in this country alone, and across the European Union a total of 40GW by 2020. This is sufficient capacity to supply the total electricity needs of the Netherlands and Ireland combined.

There is little doubt that offshore wind holds tremendous potential to power Europe and the world. 2012 will be a year of rapid progress.

To use another sporting metaphor, next year offshore wind in truly coming home. To mark the occasion RenewableUK has a limited number of tickets for sale at an early bird discount rate.

It promises to be the event of the year in London... except, of course for the Olympics.

Nick Medic is director of offshore renewables at trade association RenewableUK

This post is hosted in association with RenewableUK and the Global Offshore Wind 2012 event