Quick wins for decarbonisation
The good news is that by tackling your GHG emissions, you are not only helping to combat climate change, you can also achieve straight-to-the-bottom line cost savings, improved legal compliance and gain an improved competitive advantage as a result
Some areas to consider for quick wins could include:
⇒ Depending on your energy consumption, now might be a good time to invest in renewable generation technologies at your site, providing carbon free energy.Electricity and gas costs are high, and the cost of technologies such as photovoltaic and solar thermal panels and smaller wind turbines are more reasonable (and efficient) than ever, as the market matures.
If you have the space such as a roof facing a suitable direction or an unused and unshaded field or yard area, then the return on investment can often be surprisingly quick.
The availability and cost of storage batteries has also improved in recent years. By investing in battery capacity for your generated electricity, you can store it during periods when you’re not using it, for later use.
⇒ Many energy efficient technologies are now common place and lower cost than in the past.
Undertaking relamping projects using LEDs and lighting controls such as PIRs can quickly payback in many circumstances.
Other considerations might be improved insulation levels, installing heat recovery in HVAC systems or air compressor outlets, installing double or triple glazing, replacing older boilers with more efficient models, looking at alternative fuels such as replacing oil fired boilers or plant with HVO, implementing improved heating and lighting controls, or a simple switch off campaign, can often reap benefits quickly.
⇒ The cost of electric vehicles continue to slowly fall, whilst their range continues to increase.
Considering a full lifecycle cost approach when replacing diesel and petrol fired cars can often be a quick win in carbon terms. With changes to red diesel taxation in recent years, you might also consider replacing diesel fired plant such as heavy forklifts with battery powered alternatives.
⇒ Not all GHGs are equal! The Global Warming Potential, or potency in terms of contribution to climate change, of some gases is much higher than others.
For example, many gases used in air conditioning or chiller units can be very potent if allowed to leak or escape from pressurised systems, which can be quite common.
By removing the need for space cooling, installing air source or ground source heating and cooling, or by replacing the FGases in existing systems with drop in replacements with much lower Global Warming Potentials, can all help to reduce your GHG emissions.
⇒ Engaging with your supply chain and working collaboratively to decarbonise can prove highly effective.
Often a large proportion of your Scope 3 emissions will be your supplier’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
⇒ Waste streams can often make a significant contribution to your GHG emissions, particularly due to methane emissions during the decomposition of organic wastes.
Taking action to minimise waste, prevent it from ending in landfill, and participating in waste exchanges (industrial symbiosis involves sharing wastes, by-products, heat, and even logistics streams) can all help to decarbonise.
⇒ Although often slightly more expensive, entering into a suitable renewable energy supply contract can reap rewards.
A word of caution though – if you are using ISO 14064-1 as the mechanism for quantifying your GHG emissions, bear in mind you must report using a location based approach (ie using the grid carbon conversion factor), but you can also simultaneously report your emissions using a market based approach which accounts for the renewable contract supplies.
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