Energy efficiency not just for homes

Debates on energy efficiency often tend to revolve around households and family units, leaving out a significant chunk of potential change-makers. Yes, adoption of energy-efficient practices in offices through initiating behavioural changes among employees can play a massive role in determining the success of such campaigns. Cutting down energy consumption and emission within their facilities, businesses are capable of playing a meaningful role in combating climate change ... in addition to saving costs. Therefore, having an energy management strategy in place is integral to quantifying and regulating energy consumption and devising action plans to further improve its performance.

Even seemingly unimportant gestures such as keeping the office temperature down during cooler months is a simple, yet effective, way to cut down consumption. Similarly, in the case of factories, when a production unit is not functioning at full capacity, turning off equipment can generate substantial savings. However, like most other cases, a lack of awareness among employees can remain as a major barrier to the success of an organisation’s energy management strategy.

This calls for a well-planned, systematic approach to incorporating energy efficiency into an enterprise’s daily practices. Involving all employees in the pursuit of energy management goals through boosting awareness and encouraging them to come up with ideas and actions to improve efficiency is key. The employer or management’s role in ensuring the organisation’s energyefficiency strategy’s success comprises implementation of the programme through employee engagement, encouraging responsibility and acknowledging results. Employees tend to be more involved and productive if their progress is recorded and acknowledged.

Breaking an old habit and adopting a new, positive change can be terribly difficult, regardless of how motivated you are. And this is why behavioural changes are hard.

So, don’t be discouraged if you fail to notice any changes in attitudes right after the implementation of the strategy. Continue to motivate your coworkers through informative language, gentle reminders and allowing people to take responsibility in terms of achieving some minor goals.

While enterprises benefit from reducing energy consumption in a lot of ways, it is not uncommon for employees to find these measures inconsequential. This is where rewards come in. Identifying most innovative ideas and rewarding the group or department that is making the biggest effort to reduce their energy usage is extremely important.

Energy consumption has increased by over 30 per cent since 2000 globally, posing a major threat to natural resources. The DSM Strategy — developed by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) as part of the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy (DIES) 2030 — supports the emirate’s vision of leadership in energy and security.

The participation of the business sector is crucial in achieving the emirate’s sustainability goals. Though many businesses have chalked out their energy efficiency road maps, making them part of everyday practices still seems like a distant reality. Let us not forget economic growth and environmental responsibility are both indicators of true progress.

■ Pradeep Singh is Manager — BD & Technical, Etihad ESCO.