Energy Sustainability and Net Zero

UK businesses and public sector organisations face mounting pressure from customers, investors, and law-makers to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero with sustainable energy practices.

The UK was the first country to commit to a net-zero target, with 2050 set as the deadline for the country to collectively reach net-zero emissions. As a milestone towards that ultimate goal, the government has also set a target of cutting emissions by 78% by 2035, in comparison to levels in 1990.

Achieving this ambitious target will require every household and business in the UK to play a part in a collective effort to reach net zero. With the Committee for Climate Change warning that the UK will need tougher policies to achieve net-zero as progress currently lags behind, failing to act decisively on your carbon emissions now risks struggling to keep pace with new legislative requirements in the near future as the race to decarbonise intensifies.

Achieving net-zero is far from just a legislative rod on the back of businesses. Better energy efficiency and sustainability offers a growing host of benefits for businesses, helping to reduce energy costs while better engaging with key audiences.

Engaging with Key Audiences

As large businesses increasingly address their own carbon emissions performance, many are looking to their supply chains to unlock further improvements by reducing their Scope 3 emissions, those that occur as part of a company’s value chain. To continue to engage with key, large customers and to ensure you remain competitive it is vital that you are able to demonstrate a clear strategy for achieving net-zero.

Other key audiences are increasingly turning to sustainability performance as one of their key decision-making criteria. Whether this is investors or consumers, the ability to show tangible sustainability improvements and a long-term ambition to achieve net-zero is key.

What Is Net-Zero Carbon?

Net-Zero is the balancing of how much CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere, balanced with how much CO2 is removed from the atmosphere. UK businesses and public sector organisations face mounting pressure from customers, investors, and law-makers to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net-zero. The UK, and many other countries, have passed laws to make the Net Zero by 2050 target binding.

In order to achieve this quickly, it is likely that all of your energy sources will need to be electrified and all of your electricity will need to be from low carbon sources. Converting everything that currently runs on fossil fuels, such as gas heating and combustion engine vehicles, to electric power will dramatically increase your electricity demands and change your usage profile. At exactly the same time you will be converting your electricity supply to renewable sources, which are more intermittent and unpredictable.