In the Media

Viewpoint: forget 2012, 2027 could be the end

You might recall the plot of the movie 2012 in which, due to pollution and global warming, the planet is almost destroyed in a series of outrageously unrealistic disasters. However, 2027 could be the actual melt-down date for British climate change targets. This is because the UK is committed to reducing its emissions to half the level of 1995 by 2027. And yet Government isn’t announcing its new wave of energy saving recommendations for business until the start of 2012.

It’s fair to say that whilst management in UK industry are aware of the scale of rises in electricity prices and the environmental consequences of its excessive use, there is limited knowledge of how electricity costs can be effectively reduced. For instance, the use of variable speed drives (VSDs) is one of the most easily implemented and cost effective ways to reduce carbon emissions and so meet the UK’s carbon reduction commitments. And yet only ten per cent of relevant electric motor applications use a VSD.

While 2027 is very unlikely to witness the absurdist events of the 2012 movie, if the Government does not make the right recommendations next year, 2027 may well see us miss our climate change targets. Energy saving technology is the biggest energy resource available to the UK. As a result, I would expect there to be a sense of urgency amongst Government officials when preparing recommendations to encourage the installation of technology such as VSDs.

Published 16/10/2011
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