Background
Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) is a methodical way to report your organisation’s carbon footprint. Although not specifically designed to make savings, doing SECR does help identify costs savings and increase income. This blog describes a few examples we’ve seen.
Examples of Costs Savings Revealed by SECR
- Unusual spending on fuel – by comparing your current data with the previous year you can identify some real anomalies. We’ve seen companies being charged for electricity they don’t use and we’ve identified standing charges on meters that aren’t being used any more. Looking at your business through the prism of SECR helps you identify these things.
- A spur to make improvements – by having a carbon baseline, a lot of businesses will want to make improvements. So SECR can be the spur to do an ESOS style energy audit to really help you identify opportunities for costs savings. Typically, the savings in energy use identified are 3 times the energy audit fee.
- Increased sales – if your SECR report forms part of a wider sustainability strategy for your organisation, then there is growing evidence that this can lead to more sales. Business clients are now asking for carbon reporting as part of their procurement exercises and consumers want to buy from companies that are doing good.
- Reduce recruitment and retention costs – incorporating SECR in an organisations ethos of sustainability can lead to better staff retention and recruitment. The evidence to support this is building up [4] as people, especially younger people, want to work for an organisation that is doing good for the planet.
What next?
If you need to comply with SECR or, you need a carbon footprint for any of the four reasons shown above, then get in touch and we’ll be happy to help you.