We are living in an increasingly volatile world. We have seen temperatures and sea levels rise; extreme weather occurrences become more commonplace and the global population continue to expand.
We know that these are some of the biggest challenges facing our world today and they cannot be addressed by one company alone. But by being part of the solution and by utilizing options for innovative renewable and sustainable energy resources we have an excellent opportunity to work with both commercial and domestic consumers to build a better society.
The Group’s Environmental Management System was certified to ISO 14001:2015 in June 2018. Energia Group’s health, safety and environmental policy commits us to protecting the environment and is designed to ensure compliance with all relevant legislative and regulatory requirements. In addition to this, where practical and economically viable, the Group seeks to develop standards in excess of such requirements. Areas of particular focus include the responsible management of emissions, waste and recycling, measures to protect against pollution and the promotion of energy efficiency.
Environmental CSR priorities within the Group are focused on a number of key areas:
Renewables
Energia Group is a significant contributor to the sustainable energy agenda in both Northern Ireland and the RoI. Its renewable portfolio currently generates around 2,100GWh offsetting the emission of almost 683,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
Huntstown CCGT plants
Huntstown 1 and 2 operate in compliance with their Industrial Emissions licences.
Emissions of NOx, SO₂ and CO are measured by onsite Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems, CO₂ is calculated as per greenhouse gas permit requirements.
Through the operation of their respective Industrial Emissions licences, Huntstown 1 and 2 comply with the emission limits for NOx, SO2 and dust under the EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive.
Huntstown 1 and 2 continue to operate in accordance with the Environmental Management System ISO: 14001:2015.
Customer Solutions
Energy Services teams within Energia and Power NI oversee sustainable energy activities and consider business opportunities.
For example, Energia Group is partnering with Moixa, providers of smart energy storage solutions, to bring solar PV systems and smart batteries into Irish homes as part of a pilot program launched in 2019
The program, which is being rolled out to 20 homes in the country, will provide a 70% subsidy towards equipment and installation of the integrated system – which enables the delivery of solar-generated power throughout the day, evening and night.
Energy Efficiency for Homes
Reducing the environmental impact of how consumers use energy is another core challenge. Energia Group continues to pursue innovative services aimed at increasing awareness and offering customers energy efficiency solutions. In addition to gas boiler servicing, we offer our customers smart thermostats for control of their heating systems via a smart phone, tablet or PC. Our Cosy Homes scheme offers customers a range of energy efficiency products such as roof and cavity wall insulation, boiler upgrades and solar panels via our Energy Centre. Overall we are seeing progress in this area along with the development of new and innovative tech led solutions for the generation, use, storage and sharing of energy.
Energy Efficiency for Businesses
Energia Group continues to run customer information programmes aimed at energy efficiency for all industrial and commercial customers. Programmes include; customer energy conferences; energy efficiency training programmes; energy awareness days and shows; energy audits and energy efficiency literature/brochures.
Along with these programmes, we offer energy efficiency grants through our Cash for Kilowatts scheme and Upgrade and Save scheme, the latter of which allows customers to upgrade their lighting and repay the capital costs through their energy bills. In total, Energia Group has invested over €25m in grants helping businesses across the island of Ireland improve their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint.
The Green Team
When it comes to monitoring our own footprint we have also made strong progress. Energia Group’s Green Team gathers and monitors energy usage throughout the business, working with staff to help reduce energy consumption whilst promoting environmental awareness. Recent office refurbishments have included energy efficiency measures such as LED lighting upgrades with motion sensors in some areas. The Green Team will continue to roll out energy efficiency measures across the Group and make a conscious effort to reduce waste where possible.
Environment for the Future
Through our strategic initiatives and our investments, we are decisively addressing the challenges of energy provision in a world that is grappling with climate change. Our mission is simple, and that is to provide our customers with innovative, technology led solutions that will help make their lives easier, while contributing strongly to decarbonisation and the protection of our environment. In particular, we believe that by giving customers access to a range of renewable energy options, we can positively impact their lives and the lives of everyone on this planet.
SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting)
The following document details the Group’s reporting for its UK businesses as required under the Companies (Directors’ Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Energy and Carbon Report) Regulations 2018.
