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Chapter 3 Changing our behaviour
3.1 Governments can require action: of energy suppliers, of house builders and of consumers of energy. But we will be most successful where users of energy themselves recognise the benefits of reducing their energy use and changing their behaviour. The key challenge for the Executive is to lead this change in culture and behaviour.
3.2 The Executive's awareness raising campaign - It's Our Future - aims to ensure the sustainable development message is clear and easily understood. It encourages more people to take action now to make Scotland, and the wider world, a more sustainable place for future generations.
Case Study - Save Your 20% Campaign |
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The Energy Saving Trust's ( EST) 'Save your 20%' consumer campaign spells out the ten simple steps that everyone can take to become more energy efficient, and how the average Scottish household could save up to £300 a year on its energy bills: 1. Turning your thermostat down by 1°C could cut heating bills by up to 10% and save around £30 a year. 2. Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60°C. 3. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows. 4. Always turn off the lights when you leave a room. 5. Don't leave appliances on standby and don't leave appliances on charge unnecessarily. 6. If you're not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer, or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme. 7. Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle). 8. In just one day, a dripping hot water tap wastes enough water to fill a bath. Make sure they're turned off. 9. Replace your light bulbs with energy saving recommended ones: just one can reduce your lighting costs by up to £78 over the lifetime of the bulb - and they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary light bulbs. 10. Do a home energy check. Just answer some simple questions about your home and we'll give you a free, impartial report telling you how you can reduce your household energy bills. |
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3.3 The Executive funds a range of information and advice programmes designed to deliver greater energy efficiency across the domestic, public and business sectors throughout Scotland. The budget for these is currently some £10 million. The organisations through which support is currently provided are the Energy Saving Trust and the Carbon Trust.
3.4 For small and medium sized businesses we have a dedicated Business Advisor Network which is exclusive in Scotland.SMEs often experience difficulties in accessing the right information, or need additional more targeted 'hands-on' help in learning how to make their business more energy and resource efficient. The advisors provide a range of free services including telephone and face to face advice, energy audits and reports, and signposting to appropriate sources of funding or further specialist support.
3.5 In 2005-06, advice and support was provided through the entire range of programmes to:
- 80,000 householders in Scotland producing lifetime savings of 524,000 tonnes of carbon and financial savings of £24 million;
- Over 350 SMEs providing nearly 6000 tonnes of lifetime carbon savings and financial savings of over £2.5 million; and
- Over 500 business and public sector organisations through on-site energy audits and carbon management programmes for large energy users. These identified total lifetime savings of 330,000 tonnes of carbon, which represents a financial saving of around £38m.
(this data has been verified through formal evaluations undertaken by the Carbon Trust and Energy Saving Trust).
3.6 Taken together, these programmes are predicted to produce lifetime savings of over 500,000 tonnes of carbon by 2010. Although this is real progress, there is more to be done if we are to meet our ambitious carbon savings target outlined in Scotland's Climate Change Programme.
Next Steps:
Information and Advice
3.7 The Executive will introduce a 'one-stop-shop' approach to advice and support for householders covering energy efficiency, transport and renewable energy. This will build on and enhance the work of the current Energy Efficiency Advice Centres ( EEAC) and will target more customers, offer a more pro-active, customer focused service, with a greater emphasis on the implementation of advice and ambitious carbon savings targets. It is estimated that this approach could produce over 400,000 tonnes lifetime carbon savings compared to the current performance of over 100,000 tonnes of carbon - an additional saving of over 300,000 tonnes. During 2007, the Executive will work with interested and affected parties, such as the Energy Saving Trust and the EEAC network, and take account of any research findings (including those arising out of the work described under paragraph 3.18) to develop the one stop shop approach for householders.
3.8 The Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme will help more public sector organisations to demonstrate leadership in investing in carbon-saving measures. Carbon management typically results in a 10-15% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions - for local authorities alone this could identify savings of 30-45,000 tonnes of carbon per annum in 2010, equating to financial savings of between £10-15 million. To date, 10 out of 32 local authorities have participated in the scheme. By 2009 the Executive wants all of the remaining local authorities to be taking part in the programme.
Case Study - Aberdeen City Council does Carbon Management Programme |
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Aberdeen, Scotland's third largest city with a population of around a quarter of a million, was one of the first authorities to seize the opportunity to participate in the Carbon Trust's Local Authority Carbon Management Programme. With the help of the Carbon Trust, Aberdeen City Council calculated its baseline carbon dioxide emissions from 2002/3 - 62,000 tonnes of carbon, which was costing the council £7.7 million a year - and set an ambitious but achievable target to lower its emissions to 58,000 tonnes per annum within 5 years, reducing the costs to £6.9 million a year. With an initial investment of £183,000 to integrate energy efficient and sustainable technologies into its public and corporate buildings, Aberdeen City Council was able to begin saving £93,000 per year - a payback of less than 2 years. One combined heat and power project was particularly successful, making a 50% saving in energy. The council's success with the programme has changed the way it procures its supplies - not always going for the most inexpensive item, but the one with the best life cycle costing - and truly strengthened its commitment in lowering greenhouse gas emissions. |
3.9 The Executive is fully committed to helping businesses to reduce their energy consumption and their carbon dioxide emissions. In doing so, they will improve their cost-effectiveness and make a contribution to tackling climate change.
3.10 The Executive challenges all businesses to do their bit in helping to tackle climate change, from the large energy intensive users to the small office based company. Implementing energy efficiency measures can cut energy bills and improve business growth, profitability and competitiveness. It is estimated that around £250 million of energy is wasted by Scottish businesses each year. Experience has shown that businesses who adopt a range of simple no-cost and low-cost energy reducing measures can typically save 20% on their fuel bills. For those who invest in energy efficient equipment, such as condensing boilers, compressors or variable speed drives, savings can be even greater - in some cases in excess of 30%. This represents a financial saving of more than £50 million pounds per annum.
Case Study - Tips from the Carbon Trust - How can business save energy and money? |
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Switch off lights and office equipment when not being used: - Lighting an office overnight wastes enough energy to heat water for 1000 cups of tea.
- A photocopier left on overnight uses enough energy to produce over 1500 copies.
- Leaving a PC monitor on all night wastes enough energy to microwave six dinners.
- Switching off non-essential equipment in an office overnight saves enough energy to run a small car for 100 miles.
- An average office wastes £6,000 each year by leaving equipment on over weekends and bank holidays.
Check equipment regularly: - If heating equipment is not checked, it could add as much as 10% to heating bills without knowing it.
- If a motor isn't working at its most efficient, it can add 5% or more to energy costs.
- Most businesses using compressed air can save up to 30% simply by fixing any leaks.
- A compressed air leak the size of a match head wastes enough energy in a working day to toast 444 slices of bread.
Manage equipment better: - Installing newer, more efficient systems with good controls can often halve existing lighting costs but even good practice and maintenance of existing systems can often provide lighting energy savings of 30%.
- Managing office equipment effectively can reduce their energy consumption (and therefore cost) by up to 70%, often at little or no extra cost.
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Financial incentives for SMEs
3.11 The Executive recognises that it is more difficult for smaller companies to make the upfront investment that will help them make more energy savings. Loan Action Scotland therefore helps SMEs become more energy efficient by providing interest free loans to invest in technology and activities that allow them to reduce their energy consumption. The Executive has invested over £2m in the initiative since it was launched in 1999. This has helped over 120 companies to realise financial savings of nearly £7 million and lifetime carbon savings of 37,000 tonnes (this is over and above the savings detailed under paragraph 3.5).
3.12 The Executive recently carried out an evaluation of Loan Action Scotland to assess its impact, effectiveness and value for money. The report is due to be published in March 2007 and the review concluded that it is highly rated by business and has a high degree of customer satisfaction:
- Over 80% of recipients felt that the loan has resulted in increased competitiveness for their business;
- Demand has grown year on year - almost £1m in loans to over 50 Scottish businesses is expected in 2006. These are the highest figures achieved to date;
- The provision of energy audits adds value to the scheme and is popular with business;
- Nearly all businesses felt that the impact of implementing energy efficiency measures was as expected or greater than anticipated; and
- The real impacts of the scheme are almost certainly underestimates as businesses implement a number of no-cost, low-cost energy saving measures as a result of participation which are not accounted for.
3.13 The loan scheme is providing essential support to business to help with energy efficiency improvements. The review, however, did highlight that although rural areas in particular have benefited from the scheme, take-up in urban areas has been low.
3.14 The Executive wants to see more businesses, especially in urban areas, take responsibility and take action to reduce their energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, over the next two years, the Executive will commit up to a further £2 million to support the loan fund and a pro-active marketing campaign to raise better awareness. This funding package is made up of monies from the Executive and European Structural Funds. As it is a revolving loan fund, all monies will be recycled back into the fund to support further business investments in energy efficiency. Along with the original fund, this additional funding could achieve in the next 2 to 3 years:
- A further 180 loans;
- Lifetime carbon savings of 60,000 tonnes; and
- Financial savings of at least £10 million.
3.15 For business in particular, energy efficiency is just one part of a wider picture of resource efficiency. The Executive's green jobs strategy, which was published in 2005, made a commitment to ensure that businesses are aware of potential resource efficiency gains. Action has already been taken to improve the services offered, for example:
- The Executive provides support to SEPA for the NetRegs website. This is a free resource designed to help small businesses by giving them specific details of the environmental legislation affecting their areas of business;
- Business Gateway advisers now undertake business efficiency training, as part of their continuing professional development, to improve their ability to signpost companies to specialist support; and
- Free energy and waste audits are offered to all companies that apply for a Regional Selective Assistance ( RSA) grant. Recipients of grants of over £1 million must engage with the Executive and its agents in considering the environmental, waste and resource issues connected with the project.
3.16 However, there is more that could be done to make it easier and clearer for business to access advice and support. The Executive is investigating the effectiveness of the way that resource efficiency initiatives are provided to business and this review will report during 2007.
3.17 The Executive wants everyone to have access to information on the most appropriate and relevant energy saving actions for them, that they can take as quickly and easily as possible. The Executive also wants to ensure that the support and funds it provides are well targeted. At the moment, in addition to the services offered by the Energy Saving Trust and Carbon Trust, there is a range of advice provided by, for example, independent organisations, voluntary groups, charities and energy supply companies. This can lead to confusion - individuals and organisations don't know where to go for help, what actions they should take or what impact those actions have on carbon dioxide emissions and the environment.
3.18 The Executive has therefore commissioned an independentreview of energy efficiency and microgeneration support in Scotland. The review is due to report during summer 2007 and it aims to provide evidence on both:
(i) The effectiveness of the process and framework of energy efficiency and microgeneration advice; and
(ii) The impact of the policy in terms of outcomes e.g. value of carbon savings achieved, changes in behavioural attitudes towards energy efficiency and microgeneration, etc.
It will look for any gaps, overlaps, duplication or unhelpful competition; any barriers to effectiveness; and it will identify examples of best practice from within Scotland and from the rest of Europe and the World that can be learned from.
3.19 The Executive will use the results and recommendations of the review, and working with partners, will take action to improve the delivery of energy efficiency and microgeneration support in Scotland to ensure that support is cost-effective, is targeted appropriately and helps to achieve the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions that is so needed. The Executive will publish proposals for achieving this once the review has reported.
But adults are not our only audiences. It starts at school……
3.20 The Executive recognises that initiatives that educate and encourage young people to save energy are key for the creation of sound long-term energy aware behaviour - for the young people themselves and also for the influence that they can exert on the behaviour of their families. The Executive is supporting a number of initiatives to increase young peoples' awareness and engagement with climate change issues, including: a poster campaign with the Sunday Mail; and a partnership with ScottishPower and Learning and Teaching Scotland to deliver screenings and a package of educational curriculum materials, based on the Al Gore film "An Inconvenient Truth" to Scotland's secondary schools.
3.21 The Executive currently supports the Eco Schools initiative which is an international programme designed to encourage whole-school action for the environment. There are over 2,000 schools registered with the Eco Schools Programme in Scotland and over 300 of these schools have attained the highest award level - the Green Flag. There is an ambitious UN target for 80% of schools to be registered by 2008 - Scotland has already achieved this target. The Executive wants to see every school registering on the Eco Schools Programme and striving for the Green Flag award. The Eco Schools Programme provides an environmental management tool, learning resource and recognised award scheme. It incorporates eight environmental topics, one of which is energy. The Executive wants to build on the work of the Eco Schools Programme and do more to raise the profile of energy efficiency and microgeneration. We will therefore develop more focussed education and awareness programmes aligned to the Eco Schools initiative during 2007.
Conclusion |
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As set out in this section we will: - Introduce a one stop shop approach to advice for householders on energy efficiency, sustainable transport and renewable energy.
- Ensure that all local authorities have taken part in the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme.
- Commit up to a further £2 million to a loan fund for small and medium sized businesses.
- Review energy efficiency measures to address any gaps or duplication so that publicly funded support is as effective as possible.
- Encourage every school to work towards becoming a Green Flag Eco School.
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