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Finance directors at large businesses in the UK are undervaluing the financial returns from investments in energy efficiency by more than half, research by Carbon Trust Advisory has revealed.

This undervaluation is one factor leading big businesses to waste at least £1.6bn every year on energy they could easily save through measures including upgrades to heating and lighting, energy-saving...

Improved energy and carbon management integral to public sector efficiency drive, says Carbon Trust 

The Carbon Trust has identified immediate opportunities for the public sector to achieve net savings of £1 billion through energy efficiency projects, it was announced today.

The projects proposed could reduce carbon emissions from public organisations by some 46 million tonnes over t...

A recent report on carbon reporting in the business sector is very critical of current practice.

Only a small number of UK companies are currently reporting their carbon footprint in accordance with Defra guidelines, a recent report by a leading business consultant has revealed. The report ‘A Survey of Carbon Reporting Practices Amongst UK-listed Companies’ sampled performance by 100...

Efficiency Direct Ltd is celebrating the award of a contract to implement energy efficient solutions, and, therefore cost reductions for BSUH. The Trust comprises The Royal Sussex County Hospital, The Queen Alexandra Children’s Hospital and The Sussex Eye Hospital in Brighton and The Princess Royal Hospital and Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre in Haywards Heath.

Efficiency Direct is a Ca...

The Government recently issued an information note outlining what will be included in the forthcoming Energy Security and Green Economy Bill, and this confirmed that the new Green Deal will have pride of place.

The note set out all aspects of the legislation proposed by the Government. A key element is the plan for a “pay-as-you-save” framework, sometimes referred to as the Green Dea...

A top City consultancy has cautioned businesses who still have not registered for the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) to do so by the earlier date of 2nd September.

Carbon reporting specialist at the company said, even though the final deadline for registration is 30 September, the process needed to start much earlier. “Companies need to allow between two and fou...

The Government and energy regulator Ofgem have published the long-awaited joint smart metering “prospectus”.

The document, published late July, set out proposals for how smart metering will be delivered, including design requirements, data management and the approach to the roll-out. Although the plans were largely focused on installing smart meters for domestic customers and the acc...

British, American and Norwegian engineers are in a race to design and build the holy grail of wind turbines – giant, 10MW offshore machines twice the size and power of anything seen before – that could transform the global energy market because of their economies of scale.

Today, a revolutionary British design that mimics a spinning sycamore leaf and which was inspired by floating oi...

The Carbon Trust has today launched a new service designed to ‘turbo charge’ and stimulate investment in early-stage clean tech companies. This will help create a step-change in the growth of high tech, low carbon businesses in the UK. The launch of Carbon Trust Entrepreneurs Fast Track, developed after consultation with Britain’s emerging low carbon technology companies, was we...

The rise in carbon emissions threatened by the projected exponential growth of data centres could be halved in the UK, thanks to a new design service launched by the Carbon Trust today. 

The new service has already been piloted in the design of multi-billion pound data storage and processing facility, The Lockerbie Data Centre, Scotland, where it is expected to help reduce operating costs b...

The Carbon Trust, fund manager Threadneedle and developer Stanhope plc are to partner in a new fund that aims to significantly increase the availability of high specification low carbon commercial property in the UK.

The Threadneedle Low-Carbon Workplace Trust (Threadneedle LCW Trust) launched in March aims to raise £100m in the next 12 months and up to £350m within three years from...

Farmers, foresters and local authorities can from today apply for £1.5 million grants to help develop the supply of biomass, such as wood chips or energy crops like Miscanthus, in England through round three of the Bio-energy Infrastructure Scheme.

Energy and Climate Change Minister, Lord Hunt said:

“As we approach Copenhagen we need to encourage business to invest in renewable ener...

Public sector bodies are setting increasingly ambitious targets for carbon reduction, doubling their commitments over the last four years, the Carbon Trust reported today.

In 2008/09, organisations participating in the Carbon Trust’s annual Public Sector Carbon Management Programme committed to reduce their carbon emissions by an average of 25% over a five year period.

Some organisations ...

The Carbon Trust is to help thousands of small and medium sized businesses drive down their costs by as much as £40m through a new programme - The Big Business Refit – set to launch in September this year, it was announced today.

The Big Business Refit will offer SMEs expert advice and financial support to slash their energy costs by scrapping old inefficient equipment and replacing ...

The failure of UK government departments to cut their carbon emissions could hit taxpayers, MPs have warned.

The Environmental Audit Committee said it was "unconvinced" that the government would reach its own target of reducing emissions by 12.5% by 2011.

It said departments could end up paying better performing private firms under the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme which is to be introduce...

Carbon Trust expands interest-free loans to help more SMEs survive the recession and cut carbon

The Carbon Trust is to improve access for small and medium businesses to over £100m in interest-free and unsecured loans, it was announced today. The move is intended to help more businesses survive the recession by cutting both their energy costs and ...

Britain’s head teachers could wipe a massive £70m off school energy bills by making their schools more energy efficient, the Carbon Trust said today. Reducing energy wastage would also reduce UK schools’ carbon dioxide emissions by almost 600,000 tonnes.

The £70m potential cost savings could fund around 230,000 extra computers for schools each year, or just over 4.5 milli...

The Carbon Trust has just signed an historic agreement with the China Energy Conservation Investment Corporation (CECIC) to develop low carbon technologies in China thus promoting this rapidly growing global market and helping UK exports.

The £10 million agreement will see a joint venture created to accelerate low carbon innovation and technology transfer in China, opening new markets for ...

New research from the Carbon Trust Standard shows that consumers still want to buy green despite the current economic climate, with 62% of consumers saying environmental concerns influence their purchasing decisions ‘the same as a year ago’ and just over a quarter saying they influence them ‘even more’ than in 2008.

The research shows that a business’s green credent...