One of the most frequently asked questions that probably for all those individuals and organisations dealing with CSR issues is the obvious, is just what does “Corporate Social Responsibility” mean anyway?

First of all, what is CSR?
“CSR is the integration by companies of social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis.” The concept of social responsibility means going beyond the fulfillment of legal requirements by investing more in human capital, the environment, and relations with stakeholders. It is a voluntary instrument, but must be implemented reliably so that it fosters trust and confidence among stakeholders.
The concept of CSR encompasses the ways in which a business contributes to a better society by actively engaging with and consulting stakeholders, including customers, employees, shareholders and the local community, in a manner that goes beyond the company’s financial and legal obligations. Through CSR, companies are working voluntarily to integrate social and environmental concerns into their everyday business operations.

CSR has been shown to result in a number of business benefits, including: customer attraction and retention; increased value and reputation; attraction and retention to of staff; better corporate governance; increased revenues; and improved efficiency.
Over the past 100 years, human activities have triggered a series of resources and environmental problems. Our planet is faced with severe challenges. Every country and nation, every enterprise and individual, should feel duty-bound to take actions and unswervingly promote green development.

Energy Sense Ireland has partnered with DonQi windmills to promote this concept to organizations in Ireland the launch of DonQi’s unique venture wind turbine. The DonQi Venturi Windmill is a high performance windmill using modern aero-dynamic techniques. It performs in light breezes and violent storms with practically no noise and an outstanding energy production. With every part designed to function maintenance free for at least 15 years, it features a silencer and a unique venture design that can generate up to 50% more electricity than traditional windmills.

New technologies are making “microwind” a reality and, in Europe, Dutch companies have developed small turbines that can be easily installed on rooftops today. It is the case of donQi, a young company started in the Netherlands with the intention of providing decentralized power generation for urban and rural areas.

DonQi’s urban turbines are easy to install and can be ready in a couple of hours; also, they can be connected to the grid. Prices are affordable, and both the EU and the different countries are putting several financial instruments in place to help businesses to green. Their unique style, appearance and option for company logo really stand out at client’s premises.

The DonQi wind turbine gives several benefits to clients when looking at Corporate Social Responsibility. It can boost your organisation’s corporate image and identity; have a high impact with local residents and high visibility from its premises. The project can also contribute to attracting positive media coverage, both nationally and locally.

Site surveys, wind surveys and pricing proposal can be arranged by contacting:

Energy Sense Ireland
Unit C2, Donnybrook Commercial Centre, Douglas, Cork, Ireland
Phone number: +353 (0)21 4368581
E-mail: info@energysense.ie

Enhance your corporate image forever! – By contacting Energy Sense today!

global warming

Well done to all who played their part to lower the worlds CO2 emissions in Cancun this week.
The good bits
• A Fund to channel money from the West to developing nations
• Formal recognition that current emissions pledges need to rise
• A framework on paying countries to stop deforestation
The unfinished business
• Deeper emissions cuts over Kyoto targets
• Mechanisms for negotiating deeper emission cuts
• Deciding on the legal status of any new global agreement

Remember that the developed countries which are parties to Kyoto (pretty much everyone except America) made initial commitments on cutting emissions that run out in 2012. In principle these are to be followed in 2013 by a second, more ambitious, commitment period. So for me, the most impressive result in Cancun was heading off a potential road block on the subject of the “second commitment period” to the Kyoto protocol.i.e. beyond 2012 which is when we need to seriously act in a deeper way.
Because Kyoto actually makes binding demands on us – the developed countries, it is a reference point for developing countries and their insistence on its continuing relevance was a blocker in the Copenhagen talks.

At the beginning of the Cancún conference Japan clung to its long-held refusal to have anything to do with that second commitment period; Canada and Russia did likewise. This is understandable given that the world’s biggest emitters, America and China, are not bound to such commitments. However the big emerging economies—the so called BRICS Brazil, China, India and South Africa—made it clear that a second commitment was their top priority.

On reading the text referring to the Kyoto protocol that was agreed in Cancún, it talks positively about the second commitment period in principle. But it is also very clear that neither Japan nor anyone else is currently obliged to sign up for it, and that its exact legal form remains to be determined.
All the pledges on emissions cuts that the developed countries (except the USA) made as part of the Copenhagen accord have not been inked into the Kyoto text. If they were it would have been seen as official commitments . Instead they have put into a separate part of the text.

None of this amounts to a real breakthrough. And, as the agreements make clear, the pledges from the Copenhagen accord, which have now been formally associated with the UN process, are far too low to deliver the two degree target that those agreements seek to achieve.
They must now be raised. Undoubtedly, there will be calls for Europe to go beyond the 20% cut to a 30% cut. And the problem of the specifics of the second commitment period has not gone away.

A sobering thought is that Chinese CO2 emissions will continue to rise and dwarf any reductions which we might make. China INCREASES its emissions by the equivalent of total UK emissions every 2 years.
Feeling powerless? Don’t be. Everyone can play their part.

If there is one thing that you can personally do to help, then get your employer to take energy saving measures at your place of employment. This will save money and cut your personal Co2 emissions while at work. Using products such as Energy Watch IT (see www.energywatchit.com) will save approx 60% CO2 emissions due to wasted PC power. Simply retrofitting fluorescent lights throughout your office (replace inefficient T8 lamps with more effecient T5 lamps will save 40% power and Co2 emissions). (see www.energysense.ie to get them).

That’s two small personal actions that can be done faster than any of the actions arising from Cancun.

As well as the welcome reduction in greenhouse gass emissions and carbon tax payments by the energy provider the implication is that lower cost generation facilities will mean lower energy prices for the consumer.
Bord Gáis plans to invest a further €500 million in wind farms for SWS, which it bought last December, between now and 2013. With 17 new windfarms to be rolled out across the country from Donegal to Kerry over the next three years and with the extra electricity generating capacity at Whitegate (- it has the capacity to supply electricity to 400,000 homes) we are getting ever closer to becoming energy self sufficient which is what the Government wants.

Mr Ryan, the Minister responsible, is currently considering a report on an EU directive designed to boost competition in member state’s energy markets. This will include a proposal to restructure BGE,our main supplier of natural gas to the Republic’s households and ,de facto, now also a major electricity supplier. While this move is designed to increase competition across the Republic’s energy markets the real result we are looking for is a lower consumer price.

Lets hope that the extra capacity of the new facilities and the government’s efforts on deregulation will combine to drive down energy prices to the long suffering consumers of Ireland.

We give full marks to the EPA for their latest website effort which is an information resource aimed specifically at secondary level schools.

The idea behind this free resource which offers support to teachers exploring environmental issues , is to enhance the amount of current environmental information available to students. Better informed students with the most recent information will make more informed decisions about their own and their parents lifestyles.
The site offers basic informational in a very engaging manner with a big emphasis on video. The seeds are set for further investigation and information gathering by the students.

Dr Mary Kelly, EPA director general, hopes that better informed students will influence a generation of young people to have a life-long passion for the environment.
She says the EPA’s aim is to create a cohort of informed young adults, well-versed in the values of sustainable living.

The EPA have worked with teachers to develop the resources and they are tailored to deliver what the professionals believe will work best in the classroom. The reality bears this out with short video clips, using optional subtitles in Irish and English

Information is presented in an easily digestible manner based on 6 modules – biodiversity, sustainable resource use, clean air , clean water as well as climate change and enforcement.

The environmental themes can be explored through corresponding comprehension and audiovisual lesson plans designed specifically for Transition Year, CSPE, Science and Geography.
Teachers can use clips from the popular Eco Eye TV series , featuring Duncan Stewart, and a range of corresponding resource materials to explore the key environmental issues we face today.
While the bulk of the material is basic in nature it does offer a very comprehensive introduction to current environmental issues facing Ireland and should stimulate informed debate and encourage further investigation by our young generation. Events such as the recent Dublin flooding are shown in they context of the Climate change debate which makes it a very relevant piece for discussion.

The free site is a much needed extra resource in the economic hardships schools are now facing and will be welcomed as such. The nature of the material also enables students to explore and learn at their own pace without supervision.

Another FREE schools resource recently announced is the ‘Save It Easy’ promotion from Energy Sense Ireland. To address the budget squeeze Secondary schools are facing Energy Sense Ireland has launched a schools energy saving initiative where they deliver energy savings of up to 50% on fluorescent lighting running costs, all with no up front product costs. It’s a win win, whereby schools benefit from reduced energy bills immediately and a portion of these savings pay for the ‘ Save it Easy’ product over 3 years. No capital cost and instant savings on electricity are music to the ears of every school principal.
(To start your savings contact Energy Sense Ireland at 021 4368581 or visit the website).

We at EnergySense Ireland have had enough of all the talk and no action by politicians. We strive to succeed by way of actions rather than words. Our continuous efforts are starting to bear fruit.

One major example can be seen at the EnergyShow from Wednesday 14th to Thursday 15th of April in the Main Hall at the RDS in Dublin. A sneak preview of the EnergyWatchIT software solution will be witnessed by those present on the 14th of April.

The EnergyWatchIT software solution is designed to give Energy managers and Facilities managers control over the energy consumed by their computers, implement Green IT policies and get instant progress reports on savings at the touch of a button.The product is born from a collaboration between UCC and Energy Sense Ireland Ltd through the Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP), which is part funded by Enterprise Ireland. The development project blends a team of masters Business Information Systems(BIS) graduates, with expert support from academic mentors and a globally focussed Irish energy savings company.

The product launch is expected to be in late July when the full product goes on sale through Energy Sense Ireland and globally through s/w distribution partners.

ESI director Mr Sean Cronin is very supportive of the Green IT collaborative venture and highlighted the urgent need for energy savings within IT departments worldwide to fight global warming and reduce operating costs. ‘We have worked in a focused and rapid manner to develop a simple and powerful solution that Facilities & Energy managers need right now. Energy Watch IT addresses a global need in a world market’.

Dr. Brian O’Flaherty, UCC BIS Course Director added ‘ With so much hype surrounding the Green and Smart Economy it is very pleasing to see Academia and Business collaborating to solve a problem in a very short time. Ireland needs more of this to translate the smart economy rhetoric into jobs and this project shows the way.’

Visitors to the Energy Show can view a working Beta version of the product (server and client versions) at Stand no. E11.

For contact details and to arrange a beta trial visit www.energywatchIt.com

More about us at www.energysense.ie and for best value on lighting www.pharox.ie

Following audits and advice given by SEI ,SME firms have actually reduced their energy costs by an average of 10-20%. That’s just the tip of the iceberg since these are the easy wins arising from taking simple steps such as introducing more efficient lighting or changing temperature controls. With free assessments on offer every Irish SME should avail of the SEI scheme to cut costs.

Not surprisingly lighting emerged as the most significant energy cost for many businesses, representing up to half the total bill for offices and shops. In restaurants and pubs, the assessments revealed that refrigeration can often be the biggest cost. Heating and air conditioning are also common costs across sectors. For example, replacing lamps with reduced wattage Bewley’s Café in Grafton St,Dublin reduced their lighting costs by 25%. Other energy savings came from adjusted time clocks and thermostat controls, reduced night-time electricity consumption and switching off unnecessary equipment at night.

Energy Sense Ireland’s experience backs up these findings. We’ve enabled savings of over 54% on lighting bills by simple retrofit of T8 and T12 fluorescent lights with latest T5 technology. Shops with halogen spotlights and down lighters can save a whopping 90% of lighting costs by replacement with low-wattage LED lights such as our 3w LED greenlamp, replacing a 45w halogen. These are easy and fast cost reductions that any SME can implement today. So why wait ?

The SEI’s small business support programme includes free energy assessments and sector specific training programmes. For more information visit www.sei.ie

For more case studies visit
www.energysense.ie.

GE’s next generation turbine  , delivering 4-megawatts will be the largest operated by the company and will be geared specifically towards the needs of offshore generation. 
The project will position GE to develop Europe’s vast, untapped offshore wind resources, while also creating new jobs for both GE and their suppliers.  The UK’s share of the pie will be around €110m, acting as the  the manufacturing base for the project, with some engineering activities also expected to be done there. This arises out of  the UK government’s infrastructure competition, aimed at supporting the development of renewable energy in the country.

Norway and Sweden will benefit to the tune of  €75m and €50m respectively, in high-tech green  R&D, creating over 150 jobs.  Germany will see an investment of €105m in a new engineering centre in Hamburg.  So with  1,900 jobs to be created this is a ‘smart green economy’ project Ireland can ill afford to lose. 

 Contrast this delivery of real jobs with Ireland’s  ‘talking up’ of greentech but without any concrete results to date, even though our wind resources are acknowledged as the best in Europe.  As recently as this week, Irish Wind Association’s chief executive Dr Michael Walsh, speaking ahead of the body’s conference,  claimed that national targets of delivering 40% of electricity from renewable resources by 2020 are fanciful unless the Government eliminates unnecessary red-tape and provides a stable framework for greentech investors this year. 

Ireland’s wind energy opportunity is seriously threatened by an over-complicated and unstable policy framework and a lack of joined up thinking and co-ordinated actions between government departments. 
While the Minister of  Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is leading the development of Ireland’s National Renewable Energy Action Plan to implement the green economy,  he needs to have the other relevant departments and agencies  aligned with this effort and equipped to deliver in a short window of opportunity.  If the UK can deliver, why not a small nimble supposedly quick acting country like Ireland? The  members of the Irish Wind Association are growing frustrated by a lack of co-ordination between official agencies. The new greentech jobs are waiting in the wings if we act soon.

Energy Sense Ireland will soon announce (at the Energy Show 14- 15th April, RDS Dublin)  the launch of Ireland’s cheapest domestic and small scale commercial Wind turbine that is exempt from planning permission and will offer domestic users a realistic return on investment in a short time. Follow the news at www.energysense.ie .

It is now three months since the trial of Smart meters announced by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) back in January.  The new smart meters replace the existing  mechanical predecessors and provide real-time information on energy use. 

analogue electricity meter

The selected trialists can see where, and when, they are using electricity – and the hope is that with this knowledge they will take measures to cut their usage and see lower bills.  That’s the plan anyway and if successfull we all expect to join in in 2011. 
Trials began on January 1st with 6,500 users and a lot of fanfare with Minister Eamonn Ryan part of the cohort.

So  what’s  the feedback so far ? Little news is flowing on the project.

We were told that ‘Smart Bills’ will contain additional information on electricity consumption and costs, including hints and tips on how to improve energy efficiency and save money. Has this been happening?  Has the improved information led to behavoural changes? If so what is the effect of these ? Are folks saving money? How much on average? We would love to know ?

Smart metering is supposed to  allow electricity suppliers to create innovative pricing arrangements that can be offered to consumers to support the efficient use of electricity, such as Time-of-Use electricity tariffs. Are there any plans among suppliers to do this at present?
Some of the 6,500 participants in the trial also received  In Home Displays (IHDs) – small devices which display real-time information on current electricity usage and costs in the home.  What is the experience of users? Are these devices  beneficial or awkward to use? Do they deliver the promised insights?
If you are a participant or know someone who is taking part,  please let us know in the feedback form below.

Energy Sense Ireland operates a monitoring service for corporate customers using remote monitors located on customer premises and offer these clients web access to view real time consumption and time related behavoural graphs. We believe all comsumers should have similar real time insights into their consumption patterns. (For more info contact us at www.energysense.ie).

The amount of energy we consume is rising with more electrical appliances in use. If we’re honest we will admit that e waste so much energy in our own homes.  But reducing our negative environmental impact doesn’t mean misery, or uncomfortable living conditions in the home.

One of the biggest culprits for energy wastage in our homes is the humble incandescent light bulb.  By simply replacing them all with either Compact Fluorescent lighting (CFL) and, even better,  Light Emitting Diodes (LED) we can retain the same lighting while saving up to 90% on our energy bills and reducing our carbon footprint. It’s a ‘win win’ for our pocket and our planet.

Why change to energy saving bulbs?

• Of the energy consumed by Incandescent bulbs just 15% comes out as light. The remaining 85% is lost  in heating  the tungsten filament used to generate the white heat. Most inefficient you will agree.
• Compact Fluorescents can last up to 6 times longer than incandescent bulbs and the latest LED bulbs have very long lifetimes of 25 years or more (assuming 4 hours a day usage). LEDs will last as long as 6 CFLs. (35-50,000 hours) and do not need a warm up period to reach full brightness unlike CFLs.
• CFLs contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing which is a problem when disposing of them. ,LEDs have no mercury and so are a cleaner option with no disposal issues (after a long life).
• LEDs already come in wattages and light output to match 60W incandescent bulbs with 90% savings. They are also now dimmable versions available such as the Pharox bulb (available from http://www.energysense.ie/). Beyond 60W replacements the CFLs are the current option with 15W or 20W bulbs matching the light output of 100W incandescent.
• While LEDs are the most expensive option currently they offer the best savings over their lifetime and will, undoubtedly drop in price as production volumes increase.
• Every kwh of electricity generated is responsible for 625g of CO2 (ESB figures) so any reduction in electricity use means less needs to be generated and less CO2 is created.

How much can I save ?

 Let’s say you use the bulbs an average of 5 hours a day with 16c/kwh tariff.

• CFL savings : Each 100W bulb costs €29.28 per year in electricity or €1758 over the six year lifetime of  a CFL bulb. By replacing 10 ordinary bulbs with energy saving CFL ones an average family household could save €1407 over the bulbs lifetime on electricity charges. (ESB figures). Take out the cost of these 10 CFL bulbs of approx €40 and we have a net saving of €1367 over 6 years or €281 per year.
• LED savings : If we replace 10 ordinary 60W bulbs with 6W Pharox LED lamps these savings are a whopping €3164 over the lifetime of the bulbs. Each 60W bulb costs €17.58 per year in electricity or € 3516 over the 20 year lifetime and the 6W Pharox will reduce this by 90%. Factor in the cost of the 10 x LED at €250 approx and the net savings are €2914. Each LED bulb costs a paltry €0.15 pm to run. In the 20 year period you would also save the costs of replacing 20 incandescent bulbs and 5-6 CFL bulbs. Total CO2 savings are 12352 kg over the lifetime or the equivalent of 7.3 years total household CO2 emissions due to electricity use.. i.e you are avoiding the average household’s total annual electrical CO2 emissions for 7 years.

So for 2010 and beyond, think smart, Don’t ‘cop out’ like our politicians have. Put your pocket, your planet and the wellbeing of our future generations first. Make 2010 the year you replace all your bulbs with long life low energy bulbs.