He’s no ordinary Joe!

Energy Management employee set to live the American dream.

Joe Retford’s dream of becoming a golf professional has moved another step closer to becoming a reality after the Energy Management employee landed a four-year golf scholarship at the prestigious Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, USA.

Joe, 18, who has been working as a member of the water department whilst honing his skills on the golf course, will take up his scholarship at VCU, which is home to 32,000 students, this Autumn.

Alongside studying a biology-related subject, Joe will compete in tournaments all over the east coast of the United States – in Florida, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina as well as in Puerto Rico.

Joe said: “I’m extremely excited to announce that I have officially signed for VCU!

“Athough I’m nervous to go away, I’m really looking forward to the next four years in Virginia.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction to help me reach my goal of playing professional golf around the world.

“I can’t wait to get in the team environment and show them what I have to offer.”

Before leaving for America, the reigning West of England U18 champion has a busy summer ahead of him, playing in around 20 regional, national and international men’s amateur golf events including the Italian Amateur Open Championship.

Everyone at Energy Management wishes Joe the best of luck in his new venture.

Why energy procurement is best left in the hands of the experts

For the first time in history, more UK power came from renewable sources than from fossil fuels in the calendar year ending December 2019.  National Grid described it as “a historic moment”.

Wind power provides the largest percentage of the UK’s overall renewable energy output, making up 20% of the UK’s electricity following a series of major windfarm openings in recent years.

And with energy derived from solar power around the 6% mark, roughly a quarter of the UK’s renewable energy output is dependent on the right weather conditions.

While the wind is blowing a gale at the moment, thanks to Storm Dennis, that’s not always the case and, as we all know in this country, the sun can never be trusted to shine as long as we’d like it to.

Market vulnerability

But the vagaries of the weather are not the only strong drivers when it comes to the price people pay for their electricity.

From faulty nuclear reactors to the US-China trade talks and even the assassination of Iranian warlord, Major General Qasem Soleimani, the last few months alone has illustrated how the market is vulnerable to a host of geopolitical issues.

Understanding the market and the mechanisms that may trigger wild fluctuations in price is an important facet of energy procurement.

Right price, right time

A good level of market intelligence – through a combination of experience and accessibility to software such as EM-Powered, the energy management portal – is vital in procuring energy at the right price and at the right time.

Minimising those energy costs through smart energy procurement – and taking the hassle away from clients – is at the heart of what we do.

With over two decades’ worth of experience, Energy Management explores the range of options available to their clients, from a fixed-price, longer-term arrangement that allows for greater security, planning and budgeting, to a more flexible approach, where advantages can be derived from fluctuations in energy pricing.

Speaking literally, our consultants are experts at knowing which way ‘the wind is blowing’, so why not give them a call, on 01225-867722 or email: sales@energymanagementltd.com

 

Carbon net-zero heroes

The only zeros most business leaders used to concern themselves with were the ones added to a long line of figures on a balance sheet.

However, mention the word zero nowadays and it’ll mostly be included in a conversation about sustainability.

This is not smoke and mirrors stuff, anything but, the mind-shift can be seen in all business sectors as the world economy strives for a greener future.

Emission reduction is no flight of fancy

The budget airline, Ryanair, doesn’t always get the best press but the recent appointment of its first director of sustainability has to be applauded. Blue sky thinking indeed.

Thomas Fowler is the man responsible for the company meeting its own target of reducing emissions per passenger per kilometre from 66g at the end of 2019 to 60g by 2030.

Crucially, they now publish monthly emissions data on their website. “Once you publish [pledges and data], you have to stand over them,” Fowler said. “Transparency and disclosure are going to become a bigger play for us in the next few years.”

Following in its slipstream are Etihad Airways who have started to make long-haul flights free from single-use plastic.

Fossil fuels are history

Another company changing the narrative, this time in the financial world, is Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager. Blackrock has already made strides on its stance to remove fossil fuels from its portfolio and is committed to embedding climate action into its investment decisions.

Elsewhere, the drinks are on BrewDog, in celebration of the trendy craft beer firm’s pledge to give customers an equity stake in the company if they recycle beer cans.

And Heineken-owned cider brand, Old Mout, have unveiled a new partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), aimed at uniting young consumers in a drive to protect natural habitats and save endangered species from extinction.

The green machine

All these efforts are just the tip of the iceberg – admittedly not the best turn of phrase given the threat to Antarctica by global warming – as figures released by BloombergNEF (BNEF) show that there has been a large increase in new corporate sustainability commitments.

For example, BNEF’s 1H 2020 Corporate Energy Market Outlook found that corporates purchased 19.5GW of clean power through power purchase agreements (PPAs) last year, up from 13.6GW in 2018 and more than triple the levels recorded in 2017.

BNEF’s lead sustainability analyst Jonas Rooze said: “Corporations have purchased more than 50GW of clean energy since 2008. That is bigger than the power generation fleets of markets like Vietnam and Poland. These buyers are reshaping power markets and the business models of energy companies around the world.”

Small steps to sustainability

Of course, not all companies are big enough to warrant having a director of sustainability on their books or write open cheques to charitable causes, but there are plenty of small measures, such as those listed below, that can be easily implemented in an affordable way.

  • Green energy procurement
  • Power Purchase Agreements
  • Self-Generation Schemes
  • Electric Vehicle incentives
  • Waste to Energy Recycling
  • Staff training – behavioural changes

Energy Management has a new Net-Zero business model that helps clients reduce their carbon emissions.

If you’d like us to help you join some of the biggest global companies and be at the forefront of the climate change agenda, you can get in touch with us by email sales@energymanagementltd.com or call 01225-867722.

How will leaving the EU affect the UK energy market?

Energy Management’s Senior Energy Consultant, Malcolm Barrington, gives his verdict on what the immediate energy landscape may look like following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union on 31 January, 2020.

We do not expect Brexit to have a dramatic impact on the energy industry overnight. This is principally driven by the ongoing progress of change following the conclusion of the “Electricity Market Review” and the UK’s drive to renewable energy generation.

The UK has already effectively phased out coal from our generation mix, and offshore wind is currently the flagship of our decarbonisation strategy. This has resulted in the UK Green House Gas Conversion Factors for Company Reporting reducing from 0.41205 CO2e/kWh in 2016 to 0.2556 CO2e/kWh in 2019.

A Brexit deal is likely to ensure that we remain in the European carbon market, (EU Emission Trading Scheme ) until at least the end of 2020. This is a bullish driver for EU ETS allowance prices, and for the market as a whole. All the uncertainty surrounding Brexit last year led to no auctions of UK-issued carbon allowances. The allowances will now need to be traded, along with the 2020 allowances, and the flood of UK-origin ETS allowances may at least temporarily depress carbon prices in the EU.

We are closely watching the future of Hinkley Point’s new nuclear power plant build. The agreed price for electricity generated at Hinkley Point is twice the price of energy generated from offshore wind. We believe that Hinkley Point electricity should be subject to a renegotiation and failure to do this could possibly lead to the project being cancelled.

To talk to any of our team about this issue or any other matter relating to energy procurement and water management, please give us a call on 01225-867722.

SECR – do you meet the compliance criteria?

For the past two decades at Energy Management, we have helped all our clients reduce their energy consumption as well as ensuring they remain compliant with the relevant energy reporting regulations.

From April 1st, 2019, Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) comes into effect with the aim of simplifying carbon and energy reporting and to promote energy efficiency.

SECR involves reporting energy and carbon emissions on a yearly basis and is mandatory for those businesses who meet certain criteria. This includes businesses that have an annual energy consumption of more than 40,000 kWhs.

If your business meets two of the three criteria listed below in the financial year being reported on, you will need to comply.

  • More than 250 employees
  • £36m or more turnover
  • Balance sheet total of more than £18m

Still unsure? Why not try our free to use SECR checker tool to see whether you are required to comply.

At Energy Management, we have in-house CIBSE qualified lead assessors who will be more than happy to guide you through the compliance process.

For more information on SECR or any other form of compliance, get in touch with a member of the team on 01225-867722 or email sales@energymanagementltd.com.