Sharing an asset with other companies can be done when you are not using the asset for 100%. An asset can be anything that you use to make your business run: from an oven for catering services to construction equipment, from a car to a server computer. Any business faces variations in orders and business. Sometimes your assets can't keep up and you need extra capacity, in lower business the assets are unused.

Eco-driving feels good

• 200 organisations have been trained under the FuelGood programme to date
• Average fuel savings of 15 % on the day of the training
• Trained drivers are also safer, easier on vehicles and produce less CO2 emissions

The UK's Energy Saving Trust offers practical training courses to organisations in Scotland through the FuelGood programme, a free one-to-one training in energy-efficient driving for employees driving a car or a van.

Driving for life... and the environment

Driving like a pro

• 55 000 drivers trained in safe and economical driving
• Average fuel cost savings of 5 to 10 % after course 

Prodrive Learning is a Dutch SME offering mainly online training for companies to promote safe and fuel-efficient driving practices. The e-learning approach is based on measuring, training and motivating staff. 

Generating and supplying compressed air is a very energy-intensive activity. Improving the energy efficiency of compressed-air equipment by implementing concrete measures can save more than 30 % of the total energy used.

The efficiency of such compressed air systems can be improved through simple changes, e. g. by adjusting the system pressure according to the actual demand as well as the required quality. Carbon Trust recommends the following efficiency measures:

Accelerating gently, avoiding high speeds, anticipating traffic... these are all energy efficient or ecodriving measures which can reduce fuel consumption and costs while decreasing carbon dioxide and air pollution. For example, fuel consumption and costs can both be reduced by 10 to 15 %, with an equivalent decrease in CO2 emissions.

Cutting waste in a systematic way will help SMEs to reduce cost and save material. A special waste-prevention plan will be very helpful in introducing such a systematic approach. It helps to understand where resources are used, where waste is generated, and to find and prioritise waste-reducing and resource-saving opportunities.

Tackling mounting energy and waste bills as business grows

Industrial symbiosis is an association between two or more industrial facilities or companies in which the waste or by-products of one become the raw materials for another. This is usually done for both commercial and environmental reasons. It involves a collective approach to competitive advantage through the physical exchange of material by-products. Typical examples of materials sold on to other businesses are shredded tyres, plastic pellets and waste steams from a factory. 

Slick energy saving for Sligo Park Hotel 

• Monitoring and investing in energy delivers € 10 053 annual cost savings
• Boiler and lighting upgrade saves 187 000 kWh energy and 54 000 kg CO2 emissions annually

Through its SME assistance and mentoring programme, Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) helped Sligo Park Hotel and Leisure Club to develop a new energy management system which identified substantial savings by upgrading its heating system and replacing outdated lamps.