SE² attains Silver level of the Mayor’s Green Procurement Code

At SE² we have an ethos of practising what we preach when it comes to being ‘green’, and we are delighted that this has been recognised through the Mayor’s Green Procurement Code Awards.

The Green Procurement Code is a voluntary scheme through which companies report on the sustainability of their business. SE² undertook a thorough review of all our procurement practises, and has now got a list of preferred ‘green’ suppliers for everything from stationery and electricity to printers and taxis. In spite of being a relatively small company, we firmly believe that we are in a position to influence our suppliers, and we are proud to support local businesses and those who have made a commitment to operating in a sustainable way. We will be working towards the Gold award in 2009!

2008 also saw SE² developing strategies for delivering sustainable events – by using the guidelines laid down in BS8901, the British Standard for Sustainable Event Management, we are confident that the events we manage have a minimised environmental impact. This was put into practise at the CHPA Conference and Dinner, where we ensured that all food was sourced from within the British Isles, that recycling facilities were available, and that lighting was by LEDs where possible.

We also understand the importance of the social impact businesses can have, and are committed to our CSR objectives – for example volunteering at a primary school through the London School Environment Awards and advising a local Young Enterprise company. We have signed up to ‘London Better Together’, and are currently working to reach the top level of this sustainability index for London businesses.

CHPA Awards: winners announced at industry showcase

The Combined Heat and Power Association's annual awards were presented at a Gala Dinner on 19 November 2008. Winners included CHP advocate Michael King, leading retailer and CHP user Tesco, and emerging CHP professional Katie Gent of Sustain.

The Gala Dinner followed a busy day at the CHPA Conference, organised by SE². Delegates heard from Mike O'Brien, Minister for Energy, and a range of other political, industry and green speakers. Presentations from the Conference are available for download on the CHPA website (www.chpa.co.uk). Watch out for details of future events for public sector energy managers and local authority planners!

Growing energy crisis to hit Britain’s older population

The Government is facing a growing energy crisis, as the UK’s population ages, with up to £132M a year being wasted on poor energy inefficient housing for over 60s, according to a research carried out by SE² for the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes. The report warns that the Government faces an energy time bomb unless it urgently invests £57M to improve the fabric and efficiency of over 800,000 existing homes, which are run by housing associations and local authorities to provide support to older people across the UK. Key findings from the report reveal that:

• Supported housing emits over 2.8M tons of C02 per year –equivalent to the total household energy emissions of cities Leeds and Manchester combined
• A one off investment of £57M to insulate 800,000 supported homes for older people, will save individuals over £14.4M year on energy bills, protect against climate change, soaring energy bills and the risk of poverty. The savings made mean the investment would be paid back in less than four years
• The report highlights that 20% of children born today are likely to live to 100 years of age. And by 2026, there will be more than 2.4 million additional older households. This will place greater financial burden on supported housing providers to meet rising needs and expectations in an environmental and cost efficient manner

Download the research report Energy Efficiency in Supported Housing.

 

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