Patron News: UK Wastes £300 Billion Worth of Energy

Change in retailing is constant, but continual flux is causing a crisis. Many stores in the UK are struggling to exist as the sector is buffeted by mounting costs caused by waves of change: from morphing shopping habits to the introduction of the National Living Wage, and now rising import prices post-Brexit.

Commissioned by UK utilities consultancy Chamber Energy Solutions, the energy retail whitepaper available to download below will benefit small to medium sized retailers by showing how they can improve energy efficiency and make big savings without having an impact on their customers' experience.

Is energy-saving worth doing?

Did you know a 20% cut in energy costs represents the same bottom line benefit as a 5% increase in sales in many businesses?

So if a shop's turnover is £20,000, that's the equivalent of an extra £1,000 - enough to create a website, train staff in sales techniques or upgrade to LED lighting: all ways retailers can improve their offering and attract customers.

Monitoring = Control

Only 20% of retailers monitor their use of energy and water, but without data it's impossible to gain a detailed picture of where savings could be made. Guesswork is not enough, because different retailers have different business practices and equipment. Existing circumstances can have a huge impact on the energy used and saved.

Chamber Energy Solutions reckons its Utility Insight product can reduce energy consumption by 33% and water by 50%. As the first step in identifying waste, monitoring can lead to major savings, as our case study shows.

Shut that door

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is the biggest energy expense for most retailers. Yet according to the non-profit-making organisation Close the Door, shops in the UK waste £300 billion worth of energy just by leaving their doors open and letting heat escape. Closing a shop door in winter can save up to 50% in energy usage, according to research by the University of Cambridge, and 10 tonnes of CO2 a year - that's three return flights to Hong Kong from London.

Download the Full Chamber Energy Solutions Retail Whitepaper for free here.