Case studies

Energy Management for Non-Specialists (DECC subsidised)

In recognition that sustainability is no longer a green issues, but essential for an organisation’s survival and success, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) commissioned GAIA Active to develop and deliver an energy management course for non-energy specialists.

GAIA developed a peer-to-peer masterclass programme delivered in London, Birmingham and Manchester during March 2013.

Course Feedback:

• Over 95% of the candidates said they have achieved their learning goals with all willing to endorse the programme.
• The strongest feedback related to our Sustainability Process (GAIA Path) that breaks down the energy management into segments.

Sample feedback comments:

• ‘Really enjoyed – gained great knowledge to improve energy management in my business’.
• ‘Very good overview of the process to follow in order to achieve successful energy management’
• ‘Great facilitators – really friendly and approachable. I didn’t feel silly asking basic questions’ 

As a result of this success the programme is now being provided directly by GAIA.  (Energy Management for Non Specialists)

Reducing carbon intensity at Travis Perkins plc

From April 2010 GAIA Active has contracted an Energy Manager for Travis Perkins Plc managing energy reduction & capital investment programmes across the 2000* sites in the group. Through using MAC Analysis, GAIA both select and measure carbon reduction activities resulting in a 10% reduction in carbon intensity in 2011.

GAIA has taken the lead role in creating and delivering group wide behaviour change and engagement strategy by launching an innovative environmental performance management scheme that rewards branches, stores and head offices for best practice. This scheme is now being emulated in other organizations.

*2000 sites include: Wickes, Toolstation, Travis Perkins, Keyline, Tile Giant, City Plumbing Supplies, Benchmarx, City Heating Spares, CCF, BSS, Direct Heating Spares and Plumbing Trade Solutions.

Council on target to cut consumption by 10%

As the Chief Executive Officer for Blaby District Council, Sandra Whiles is acutely aware of the tough budget pressures and climate change targets placed on the public sector. Speaking about her experience in working with GAIA she commented:

”Just like everyone else in the public sector, here at Blaby we see the delivery of efficiencies as a top priority so that we can minimise the effects of the financial challenges ahead on services and jobs. Reducing the council’s energy consumption offers us a significant opportunity to save money and reduce CO2 emissions that is too good to miss.

The staff at Blaby District Council have taken on the challenge of cutting our energy use by 10 per cent over the next six months. The project, called Time 4 Change, is aimed at getting our council officers to constantly challenge and review their own energy usage. The long term aim is to bring about a shift in behaviour which could save the authority more than £18,000 a year and drastically reduce our carbon footprint.

An energy efficiency gang made up of staff from several departments will monitor electricity use across all the Council’s buildings and work with individuals to meet the 10 per cent target by February 2011. The team have all been coached in the GAIA Behaviour Change programme which draws from established change management models and extensive implementation experience. In just two months in we are already well on course to meeting our targets. By early next year we are looking forward to realising the twin benefits of cutting energy consumption and reducing our ongoing energy costs in a single initiative.

We are making this a Blaby Team Challenge so that we release the energy of all staff and councillors and meet our targets”

We’ve reduced by 8%, a saving of £100,000 a year

As Engineering Manager for Bostik’s Leicester operations, Steve Cook’s responsibilities include finding ways to reduce the input costs of its products.

Cook says, “ For some time, I’d suspected that our plant was using too much energy in its production process but, although we had quite a few electricity and gas meters, I never had the information I needed to be able to make an impact.” Then I came across GAIA and I realised that it could provide me with what I needed.”

Once GAIA was up and running, Steve quickly identified areas and machinery where power was being consumed unnecessarily. He was then able to make an immediate impact by reducing machinery speeds (e.g. stirrers) and temperatures (e.g. hot melt ovens), at the times when they were not needed for in production process.

“One of my KPIs is the control of energy consumed per ton of product produced. Thanks to GAIA’s information, over the past 12 months I’ve exceeded that KPI by reducing the consumption by 400MW per ton,. For us, that represents a significant 8% reduction.,” asserts Cook.

From the outset, Steve put together a Energy Strategy Team who, by customising materials given to them by GAIA, initiated a hearts and minds energy reduction programme throughout the plant. The team still continues to meet once a month to review consumption and plan strategies for future reductions.

On the subject of the future, the EST isn’t sitting on its laurels, “Now that we’ve squeezed most of the energy wastage out of the current process, we’re looking at ways that we can re-engineer that process to reduce our consumption still further,” concludes Cook.

£15,000 of savings (to date) and we still have some way to go

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Meggitt PLC is an international group employing some 8,000 people specialising in aerospace equipment, high performance sensors, defence training and combat systems.

Eager to control energy spending and demonstrate strong environmental credentials, Meggitt have been supported by the GAIA energy monitoring system and Webinar training programme. The information provided has helped Meggitt identify a broad range of areas to reduce consumption, cutting both electric and gas usage.

Simon Hughes Site Services and Facilities Manager said ”Through monitoring our energy usage and responding to irregular consumption patterns we have identified a range of measures to save both gas and electrical energy. The measures taken to date have contributed at least £15’000 of savings and we still have some way to go before all the waste is eliminated. With GAIA supporting our activities we are confident the savings can be secured for the long term”