Being energy efficient to save money 16 07 2009 - 04:33:41 PM

Recent research by Inenco has shown that consumers and businesses are cutting back on electricity usage. Demand for electricity is down by an average of 4% compared to 2008. This is partly caused by the current economic climate, but it is also a result of consumers trying to cut energy bills by using fewer electrical items.

It is sensible to reduce costs by turning off lights when not in a room or electrical equipment that is not required, but sometimes that’s not possible in a busy office environment. In business, equipment often needs to be available throughout the day and into the evening, from photocopiers through to the office coffee machine.

When selecting or reviewing office equipment such as drinks vending machines, it is important to check the energy efficiency rating of the machine - including the energy used in standby mode. Not only does this help to reduce energy bills, but also helps in the fight against climate change. 

‘Climate change’ is a term that is now widely used by people around the world and is a topic that is often covered by the media. Some climate change is actually a natural occurrence and the earth has been gradually heating up since the Ice Age over 15,000 years ago.

A large contributing factor to the earth’s surface temperature is the ‘greenhouse effect’. Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane are gases that form a type of protective blanket around the earth, creating this greenhouse effect by stopping heat from escaping. This is a natural process which for many thousands of years has kept the earth’s temperature at a fairly constant temperature of +15°C rather than the -18°C it would be without it.

So why is climate change and energy efficiency now a concern for us all? Well, up until the industrial revolution about 200 years ago, temperature changes occurred very slowly over long periods of time, allowing for nature to adapt to the new environment.

In more recent years, man-made gases have sped up the rate of emissions impacting the temperature of the earth’s surface much more quickly without giving animal and floral species time to adapt. In August 2003 the UK saw the highest temperatures on record.

So how can we combat climate change?

Over 40% of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions, the main greenhouse gas to cause climate change, is created by everyday energy use. Simple things such as leaving lights on or overfilling the kettle with water to make a hot drink, not only waste energy but result in needless carbon dioxide emissions.

We can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions we produce quite easily by using energy efficient products. All electrical goods should carry information about their energy efficiency. In the drinks vending machine sector, independent testing can be done using the European Vending Association Energy Measurement Test protocol (version 2). This allows potential buyers the chance to assess what drinks vending equipment provides the most cost-effective solution in terms of energy consumption.

As the majority of companies have corporate sustainability goals in place, taking energy efficiency into account when looking at vending solutions can support these goals. Key corporate and social responsibility (CSR) areas of focus include:

- Energy use reduction
- Recycling
- Carbon footprint measurement
- Water use reduction
- Sustainable raw materials.

When considering buying a new hot drinks machine, whether a company has CSR goals in place or not, it is important to note when carbon dioxide emissions are produced in the machine’s lifecycle. The majority of carbon dioxide emissions occur during the ‘use’ stage – almost ten times as much as during the manufacture stage of the drink machine itself.

Ways that hot drinks vending products can reduce energy use through their design include:

- Only heating enough water for a few hot drinks at a time
- Having an energy efficient power saving / standby mode.

In terms of daily tasks such as making a hot drink of tea or coffee, machine design can have a dramatic impact on both energy bills as well as the environment.

To find out more about energy efficient hot drinks machines, visit the Mars Drinks website.