An intelligent approach to energy & waste management.
We are one of the UK’s leading energy and waste management companies. We support a range of organisations including individual schools, multi-academy trusts, office blocks, retailers, restaurant chains and manufacturing sites through to clients with over 500 locations.
It hardly needs saying that consuming less means spending less. What’s not so obvious is the range of measures that can be taken to push usage down. Our budgeting and subsequent invoice-validation services highlight problem areas and areas of opportunity. We’re on hand to help clients take corrective action, whether the issues are related to capex or to staff behaviours and actions.
It’s one thing to acquire detailed information about energy consumption; it’s another to identify what action to take in the light of that information and following this through.
Sustainable Advantage not only collects consumption data and generates energy reports; it also monitors patterns of usage over time, conducts in-depth analyses and works with clients on plans for reducing consumption.
These plans can target any number of issues, from the straightforward to the complex. Here are some examples:
- Deviations from budgets
- Costly anomalies in the pattern of usage
- Unexplainable trends in consumption
- Disparities in usage between comparable sites
Relying on people alone to behave in an energy efficient manner is a hit-and-miss approach. In many cases, technology is a far more efficient and consistent way to reduce energy usage. Introducing smart technology to monitor usage to make fine adjustments to maximise a buildings’ efficiency.
Sustainable Advantage keeps abreast of all high-tech developments that can benefit clients in terms of usage, cost and environmental credentials.
We work in tandem with our clients as they make decisions that can have a powerful effect on the bottom line.
Financial imperatives and the desire to raise environmental performance often prompt organisations to undertake a partial or full review of their energy efficiency and usage.
Sustainable Advantage undertakes these ‘energy health checks’, working as appropriate with in-house teams to establish the facts as a prelude to concerted action. This often follows on from our monitoring and targeting activities which highlight areas of concern.
We identify shortcomings in buildings, equipment and systems, as well as all aspects of organisational culture and behaviour. As many of our relationships span many months and even years, we become intimately acquainted with our clients’ properties and unique characteristics. This helps us to quickly focus on problem areas.
Financial imperatives and the desire to raise environmental performance often prompt organisations to undertake a partial or full review of their energy efficiency performance and usage.
Sustainable Advantage undertakes these ‘energy health checks’, working as appropriate with in-house teams to establish the facts as a prelude to concerted action. This often follows on from our monitoring and targeting activities which highlight areas of concern.
We identify shortcomings in buildings, equipment and systems, as well as all aspects of organisational culture and behaviour. As many of our relationships span many months and even years, we become intimately acquainted with our clients’ properties and unique characteristics. This helps us to quickly focus on problem areas.
Sometimes, cutting energy costs and meeting modern expectations requires a substantial consumption reduction project or on-site generation scheme.
In other cases there is low-hanging fruit where it makes sense to focus on first – such changes may well cost no money but give immediate payback.
Sustainable Advantage works in partnership with clients on everything from building upgrades aimed at boosting efficiency to solar panel installations, combined heat and power systems. We are also able to provide innovative and flexible funding solutions.
Our company combines comprehensive technical understanding with financial nous, realism and sensitivity to our clients’ needs and circumstances.
As important as technology and physical changes are in the achievement of savings; the day-to-day behaviour of individuals and teams is just as critical and needs to be addressed.
Sustainable Advantage trains staff (or their trainers) to ensure that the workforce is well informed about energy issues; and keen to join a collective effort to act responsibly and reduce costs.
Our approach is not about finger pointing; it’s about increasing understanding and motivating people to do their bit with genuine enthusiasm. It is critical that behavioural change programmes are implemented with energy; and organisation-wide buy-in and that they are sustained and continually updated.