Background

 

The MY Energy feasibility study looked at engaging with local authority staff to promote sustainable energy use both at home and at work.  It focused on establishing which approaches were most likely to raise awareness and to lead to local authority staff managing their energy use.

 

The feasibility study concentrated on two particular local authorities - Gloucester City Council and Gloucestershire County Council.  Local authorities were chosen as the focus for the study because it was felt that staff were in a strong position to have a significant influence over energy use in their local communities. 

 

 

Aims

 

If local authority staff can successfully be inspired to get their ‘own house in order’ and manage their own energy use more sustainably, they will not only be able to provide a better role model for the public, but are also more likely to seek out ways in which to incorporate sustainable energy principles into their day-to-day work functions.

 

Activities

 

Working closely in partnership with the two councils, we undertook a range of activities as part of the study.  These included conducting focus group sessions with staff representatives, developing a detailed online staff energy questionnaire, undertaking follow-up telephone surveys and holding several energy advice stands in the workplace. 

 

Results

 

The study showed that local authority staff would be highly receptive to the introduction of energy management initiatives in the workplace.  It also showed that while many staff already demonstrate some aspects of managing energy sustainably, there is plenty of room for improvement. 

 

This combination of staff receptiveness, scope for improvement, and potential knock-on impact into local authority work areas, provides a very strong case for implementing initiatives in this area.

 

 

The feasibility study has demonstrated that there are a number of relatively straightforward and popular steps that could be taken to encourage staff action on this issue.  These  do not require high-tech, high-cost solutions.  Instead, they are based on the principles of creating a virtuous circle for behavioural change by:

• making it easy for staff to take action

• helping to make it attractive for them to do so

• letting them know how much they have achieved

 

Conclusions

 

Some of the key conclusions and recommendations arising from the study are that:

the introduction of an energy champion network can have a dramatic impact on prompting staff action

 

staff often receive mixed messages about what they could, and should, be doing to manage their energy use at work - significant carbon savings could be available simply by developing clear and consistent guidance

 

staff were enthusiastic about the idea of having a pool of portable smart energy meters that they could borrow for a few weeks at a time  - if successful, the scheme could be expanded to incorporate lending to the public

 

incorporating energy saving gadgets into procurement policy would help to make timer switches and gang sockets available to staff where circumstances make frequent manual switch off at the plug less practicable

the introduction of sub-metering and a simple monthly energy league looks to be an extremely cost-effective investment, with estimated savings far outweighing the initial cost of the sub-meters

staff were keen on the idea of spending some of the money saved by an energy league on further energy efficiency measures within the council

the combination of regular feedback, open recognition, collaboration, competition and prizes suggest that an energy league can help to engage the enthusiasm of many staff who might not otherwise be interested in managing their energy use

 

Estimated carbon savings

 

The feasibility study indicates that significant low cost savings could be generated by implementation in the two councils.  Even under the most conservative assumptions, it is estimated that implementation should create at least 490tCO2 (135tC) savings per annum.  Under more optimistic assumptions then carbon savings could rise to as much as 1560tCO2 (420tC) per annum, even before considerable, less tangible, savings are taken into account. 

 

Transferability of findings

 

The ideas and recommendations covered in the feasibility study should be broadly transferable to other local authorities and organisations.  The project has already been generating interest, and several prisons that we have been working with on other projects have expressed an interest in taking the concept of the energy league forward with their own inmates.

 

The added bonus of working with local authority staff in particular is that the project should have an additional  beneficial impact in terms of encouraging staff to incorporate sustainable energy principles into their own work areas.  A relatively low-cost, low-tech campaign focused on raising local authority staff awareness could prompt significant accompanying benefits, well in excess of the direct impact on staff’s own energy use. 

 

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