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Now that we have begun a new year, we understand that you will be hard at work on achieving your business objectives for 2022, and we hope that they include one that involves moving towards net zero. O, according to Energy Live News. No matter what size, your business can have an impact on the UK’s net zero goal.
Net zero in 2021
The UK saw great movement towards net zero with more electric vehicles on our roads om 2021. 15.2% of all UK vehicles purchased last year were electric, a new record for EV sales. In September 2021 nearly 50% of car sales were electric, showing the transition continues to gather pace. This is being driven by an increase in availability and the UK governments plans to ban the purchasing of petrol and diesel cars by 2030. It is not just the UK looking to ban petrol and diesel cards, Norway has the same target but is aiming to achieve it five years earlier.
Net zero was a headline topic in 2021, COP 26 saw thousands of businesses begin their net zero journeys and world leaders commit to their country’s to more specific goals. More than 20,000 leaders met in Glasgow to discuss how the world was going to make the planet net zero. Over 140 countries have now signed up to the new Forests and Land pledge, called ‘Halt and Reverse’ where countries, who are home to 90% of the world’s forests, commit to end deforestation.
What does the UK need to do in 2022 to move closer to net zero?
There are a variety of things the UK can do to ensure we move closer to our net zero targets. Right now, the UK is on track to meet our third carbon budget (2018-2022) but research suggests we will not hit the fourth or fifth carbon budgets. The pandemic made a significant contribution to the success of the UK meeting the third carbon budget as all businesses, apart from essential organisations, had to shut for several months and reduce their energy use.
Although restrictions are slowly becoming a thing of the past, the UK should implement some of the learnings from the pandemic such as work from home schemes. Small actions like this could see large environmental success as there will be less road pollution.
Another step is encouraging businesses to commit to a net zero plan. The UK has stated that all large companies and public enterprises will be required to publish a net-zero transition plan by the end of 2024; this will be a great start as now more businesses will be held accountable for their environmental impact.
Switching to green energy is a quick way to bring down carbon emissions and thus reduce carbon emissions. Green energy (more commonly known as renewable energy) will also improve public health, as air quality improves. Most negative health impacts come from air and water pollution that clean energy technologies don’t produce. Wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems generate electricity with no associated air pollution emissions.
With energy prices showing no sign of slowing down, energy efficiency projects have never been more important. Now is a great time for businesses to invest in energy efficiency projects as the pay back periods have been reduced due to the high price of energy. Onsite generation projects such as solar panels or wind turbines are also worth investigating as the pay back period is reduced and having your own on site generation gives you certainty of supply.
The final thing all businesses can do and it is the perfect place to start is understanding their own carbon footprint. Before making decisions on energy efficiency projects or onsite generation, understanding how much energy you consume and what areas of your business consume the most is vital. Being able to make informed decisions using data at a granular level ensures that you are able to reduce energy wastage and choose the right energy efficiency solution.
Although this is only a small way the UK could move closer to net zero, if all businesses take steps in 2022, we will make another significant step towards reducing our carbon emissions to net zero.
How can Beond help?
As part of eEnergy PLC, we can support our customers with a vast range of knowledge and experience to help them achieve their sustainability and net zero targets. We have a range of services that can be used to support your business in developing a plan and implementing solutions. Please speak to one of our advisors to help you, +44 20 8634 7533 or email info@beondgroup.com.
