On Tuesday 29 March we held an Intention to Action Clinic focused on energy, a key component of any organisation’s efforts to tackle the climate and nature crises. This workshop as part of the Climate Action Programme, offered organisations the chance to learn about this important topic from those who work in the sector, and share ideas and explore solutions to challenges together.

We heard from Eloise Cuff, Senior Energy Consultant at Anthesis, on the opportunities and challenges for organisations in reducing energy-related emissions as well as David Gray, Energy Supply Programme Manager at Bristol City Council, who reflected on the impact of the current energy situation.

This was followed by a few short pitches of different products and services that can support organisations to reduce their energy emissions, see links below. You can watch the recording of the talks and pitches here.

Participants also had the opportunity to join small group discussions to explore this topic in depth and discuss their specific organisational challenges or ambitions around energy.

There was so much useful information shared during the event that we’re planning to produce a comprehensive guide to managing and reducing your organisation’s energy consumption. In the meantime, here are some of the challenges and tips that came out of the discussions.

Our organisation doesn’t own our own building

Negotiate with landlords on your contractual arrangements in relation to energy at the time you come to sign or renew your lease. The Clean Energy Buyers Association commercial real estate principles can help guide conversations with landlords and Building Managers.

Retrofitting our building is expensive

• The West of England Combined Authority’s Green Business Grants can provide SMEs with 50-80% of the total costs of energy saving improvement projects.
• Bristol Energy Co-operative offer free solar PV for businesses, schools, and community organisations across Bristol.
• See if it’s possible to connect into Bristol City Council’s heat network heatnetwork@bristol.gov.uk

It’s tricky to get staff to change their behaviour

• Do a building walkaround to better understand usage and where you might be able to encourage behaviour change.
• Posters soon get ignored, think of innovative and regular ways to remind colleagues about minimising their usage.
• Create a green team or environmental champions within the organisation.
• See our resource on top tips for engaging employees in climate and nature action.

It’s complicated to measure our energy usage

• Get to know your bills; do regular meter readings and share with your energy provider.
• Use online tools such as Stark to help you analyse data and manage your energy better. Sole traders or micro-organisations could use personal carbon calculator tools to estimate energy usage.
• Work with a consultancy such as Greener Energy Futures to help you understand your data.
• See our guide to measuring and managing your carbon emissions.

If you’re ready to switch to a green energy tariff, make sure you read our Spotlight on article on green energy tariffs for businesses first, as they are more complicated than you may think!

The Partnership’s Climate Action Programme supports organisations of all sizes and sectors to reduce their carbon emissions through free events, resources, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Find out more and get involved.