OREANDA-NEWS. Businesses and the public sector are increasingly looking for innovative ways of saving money and carbon emissions through improvements in energy efficiency. 

Whilst we have seen substantial progress to date with improvements in more conventional physical measures - such as insulation standards, heating, ventilation, cooling and lighting - where do businesses turn to next in their mission to further reduce costs and respond to the threat of climate change? 

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) typically accounts for 12% of business energy use, yet ICT energy management is often overlooked as a way to realise cost savings and carbon reductions.  SSE Enterprise Energy Solutions’ innovative Energy ICT Solution is a software package which controls ICT devices, with the potential to deliver substantial energy, carbon and cost savings by simply turning ICT devices on and off when not in use, or putting them into hibernate or standby.  

Back in April 2014, following a successful free trial, Glasgow City Council implemented Energy ICT across its schools estate and in just two years the local authority has saved 3,980 tons of CO2; has reduced its energy requirements by a massive 7.54GWh of energy, the equivalent electricity required to provide the annual electricity needs to power 2285 homes; and has cut the council’s energy bill by ?771,470.  The ICT solution paid for itself within 8 months, with the ongoing savings freeing up crucial funds for the local authority. 

Not only can interested businesses receive a free trial to calculate potential savings, they can also pay for the solution as they save.

As well as helping businesses and the public sector with ICT energy management, SSE Enterprise Energy Solutions provides a range of additional services to business customers to help identify improvements in their management of energy consumption and building environments.

It offers services to businesses to help install, control and optimise building management systems which can help customers dramatically reduce their energy consumption and help contribute towards energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets.  

So why is SSE, a traditional seller of energy, trying to help businesses use less?  SSE Enterprise Energy Solutions Managing Director, Kevin Greenhorn, explains more:

“Sustainability is one of SSE’s core values and as a responsible business, helping our customers manage their energy more efficiently is one of our key priorities. 

We see Energy ICT as the final frontier in energy management and with businesses and the public sector increasingly looking for much more from their energy provider, particularly in managing costs and responding to the threat of climate change, we are committed to working closely with our customers to help deliver a sustainable solution tailored to their individual needs and circumstances.”