Posted By J Knight Hi Foks, We've had a survey done by the Carbon Trust. I don't doubt their credentials to do this work, or their professionalism, but I would welcome any experience people have had with the accuracy of their projected costs/savings. There's always slippage between what should be saved in implementing efficiency schemes and the actual savings, so any real life experiences would be welcome, John

Posted By Bob Youel Its behavour change that is needed as the CT can be v-good but sometimes management have to 'spend-to-save' which does not calculate into accounts jargon and many managers are reluctant to try to manage staff i.e. ensuring equipment if not left on stand-by Worked with 3 companies; 2 Dutch run & 1 Brit run [all in UK] & all in v-similar work environments. the CT gave advice - the 2 Dutch companies changed the way they worked, invested some £ & yep overall they saved in the long run. I do not need to say what the other company did

Posted By Robert K Lewis Projected savings in the environmental field are often hard to justify in anything but the long term. Often one persons carbon saving becomes another persons expenditure. I find that the rapid changes can be easily obtained with such things as eliminating standby modes for say office machinery/equipment. The fuel bills will quickly register the changes BUT staff have to wait longer for equipment to start up the next day or operational cycle. The carbon saving can then become a financial loss in the overall accounts. I think the key is to try and move all such projects out of cost benefit into Social Responsibility. Yes the final costs may increase but there is a future owed to the next generations. The Carbon Trust will be placing increasing focus on SMEs and some clear thinking needs to be undertaken concerning exactly what can be done. I have been through this with construction projects and it makes you realise that it is going to be very hard to sell the message with the current economic balances and drivers. Bob