Energy
The main task is to stop wasting it, irrespective of what type or source, if for no other reason – it costs money.
I will consider just the two main energy sources, Electricity and Gas, under this heading. Other forms are covered elsewhere.
Two things to bear in mind. Firstly –
a) Common charging elements within electricity bills for business
- Wholesale energy (commodity) costs
- National transmission costs
- Distribution costs
- Metering costs
- Balancing costs
- Supplier’s margin and administration costs
- Taxes and levies
b) Common charging elements for gas bills for business
- Wholesale gas (commodity costs)
- Transportation costs
- Metering costs
- Suppliers margin and administration costs
- Taxes & levies
The second is the generation born over the past five years who will be conducting their lives in a technological era. In addition their drive to innovate will accelerate beyond our comprehension compared with what we have seen over the past 50 years.
I believe that in the next 50 years, we will have safely harnessed the energy within the mantle of our planet and that new sources of energy will have been sourced with or from the chemical elements know and some yet to be discovered.
It is therefore my view that our reliance on fossil fuels will start to wain in the next 5 to 10 years. With this in mind long term energy investment must retain the ability to change existing and implement new technology quickly and with minimum cost.
Energy use and cost tends to be ignored in business and no real concerns are raised when bills come in providing the usage has not changed from last time or year, the lights are on and the heating works. This is short sighted because in many cases the amount of money lost can run into hundreds or even thousands over a ten year period. This is especially so when the business is multi sited and energy is considered and bought on a site by site basis rather than for the business as a whole.