 There is now little dispute amongst experts that our climate is changing and that this is due to the activities of humankind since the industrial revolution. As a property owner or occupier it hardly matters whether you agree with this statement or not, much of the legislation relating to buildings will be influenced by climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Many greenhouse gases have been recognised but the most prevalent is carbon dioxide (because it is emitted in greater quantities than any other). The measurement of all greenhouse gases is often expressed in CO2 equivalent and increasingly these emissions are becoming the standard measure by which companies and institutions are judged, penalised or rewarded for their environmental efforts.
Cantium Energy was formed to offer a simple solution to property owners and occupiers, which demonstrably reduces CO2 emissions with little risk or significant capital expenditure for our customers.
We calculate that each kilowatt hour of electricity delivered by our Renewable Power Station will save 1.2 kg of CO2 emissions. To put this in perspective, if our plant were installed at a medium sized hotel for example, we might expect to save 300 to 400 tonnes of CO2 per year.
This figure is calculated by asking two simple fuel-related questions:
i) To what extent does our Renewable Power Station replace fossil energy and how much CO2 does this save?
ii) What would be the likely alternative use for the waste vegetable oil fuel if it wasn’t powering our CHP and what is the CO2 cost of this alternative disposal route?
 We then calculate the cost in emissions from other activities related to operating our plant; fuel collection, processing and delivery; maintenance, consumables and the administration of the company.
We hope and believe our calculations are reasonable but, as might be expected, the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions is a complex business and can be the subject to much argument.
Much more information including some automatic carbon calculators are available at:
and
Whilst accepting that reducing CO2 emissions will be of over-riding importance in the future, it’s not unreasonable to ask what the immediate advantages might be. Leaving aside the practical benefits of some energy independence (e.g. on-site back-up power and protection from fossil fuel price rises), for the property owner or occupier there are three obvious rewards:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
An organisation that is making an effort to reduce CO2 emissions usually gets a positive response from its customers (especially in the retail and service sectors)
Display Energy Certificates (DECs) and Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)
DEC’s are mandatory for buildings with a total useful floor area over 1,000 sq m that are occupied by a public authority and institution providing a public service to a large number of people and therefore visited by those people.
 Display Energy Certificates (DECs) show the actual energy usage of a building, the Operational Rating, and help the public see the energy efficiency of a building. This is based on the energy consumption of the building as recorded by gas, electricity and other meters. The DEC should be clearly displayed at all times and clearly visible to the public.
Similarly, Energy Performance Certificates are required on all public buildings of any size and all commercial properties whenever the building is sold, built or rented.
These certificates provide a rating for the building; a numerical indicator of the actual annual carbon dioxide emissions from the building and a scale from A to G, where A is the lowest (best) and G is the highest (worst).
A Renewable Power Station will give a building a better rating.
The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC)
The CRC will be a mandatory emissions trading scheme, targeting emissions from large non-energy intensive organisations; estimated to cover up to 5,000 large businesses and institutions. This scheme will include, for example, supermarket chains, hotel chains, office-based corporations, government departments and large local authorities.
The CRC will cover all organisations whose electricity consumption is greater than 6,000 MWh per year; the equivalent to an annual electricity bill of approximately £500,000. All energy (other than transport fuels) will be covered, including electricity, gas, and heating oil.
All participants pay a fine for their carbon emissions but these fines are redistributed to those same participants unequally. A league table is created with those organisations that have most successfully cut emissions at the top. These successful participants receive the lion’s share of the rebate.
The electricity generated by a Renewable Power Station will not count to a high CRC league table placing (because we are already claiming incentives and the government doesn’t like double counting) but the co-generated heat will help a customer lay claim to a bigger rebate.
If you would like to discuss any of the above environmental benefits please contact us or leave your details on the receive updates page and we send an occasional email with interesting or important developments.
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