Better insulation gets the seal of approval

• 35 % reduction in energy consumption using new insulating materials
• The investment saves € 2 300 annually

A new factory in Germany enlisted the support of the EcoCommercial Building Programme (ECB) to analyse potential energy savings by improving the insulation of walls, windows and the roof.

Switch off and save!

Looking to garbage for inspiration...

• Composting and recycling cuts landfill by 99 % and associated costs 
• 8 cedar composting bins divert around 190 kg of organic waste weekly

Cajun Attic, a restaurant in Canada, implemented a management system for the (mainly organic) waste generated on site with the main aim of reducing landfill waste disposal costs, which used to be C$ 3 600 (~€ 2 400) annually.

Companies use water in essential and non-essential processes. It is a valuable natural resource that needs to be used wisely and economically. Monitoring water consumption is critical to identifying areas for improvement. 

Five steps to identify improvements:

Very refreshing results!

Synergy seals the zero-waste deal

• Partnership deal diverts 3 936 tonnes of waste from landfill
• Cost savings totalled around € 11 400 and additional sales of some € 125 000 

Denby Ceramics has been making pottery in Derbyshire, England for over 200 years and has moved on from the production of the salt-glazed pottery of its early days to the easily recognisable kitchen and tableware of today.

Building energy consumption readings can be obtained from different sources. Building energy certificates, for example, show the overall primary energy requirements, further broken down into consumption and demand-based certificates.

Companies, especially SMEs, need to operate as efficiently as possible to remain competititve. Energy auditing is a useful way to identify and prioritise energy-saving opportunities.

First, assess current energy use in a company by taking energy meter readings and analysing consumption (record them in a tracking spreadhseet or similar template). Benchmark the data against similar organisations.

A comparison of a conventional car with an energy efficient one delivered positive results. The environmentally friendly car was the same model as the conventional car (gasoline-powered, efficiency class B), but powered by natural gas with efficiency class A+. The price of the conventional model was € 10 375 and the energy efficient model came to € 12 950.