Saving Energy Through People
Behaviour Change and Employee Engagement
The cheapest kWh of energy is the one not consumed. To achieve energy savings in any organisation it is vital that the three elements of technical, data/information and people solutions operate in harmony and dynamic equilibrium.
Often people solutions is the missing piece of the jigsaw but by applying it correctly can enhance savings from technical and data solutions.
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Embarking on the next phase of our carbon management plan, Phillipa Coan and John Mulholland helped us put together and lead an excellent interactive workshop for key stakeholders within our estate and operations on continual improvement systems and the psychology of behaviour change in carbon reduction.
The workshop was really useful for raising awareness of our proposed approach for the next phase of the CMP of building in ISO 50001 energy management systems across the Council and also provided some useful organisation-specific practical advice on the psychological and motivational factors behind getting staff from all areas in playing their part. Feedback was very positive about the workshop and overall will help engage all staff as we roll out the new CMP in the next 5 years.
Dr Paul Spencer
Energy & Carbon Manager
Oxford City Council
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"The University of Glasgow was very pleased to take up the opportunity of participating in the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Awareness Campaign (CMAC) managed by John Mulholland.
Our participation in the programme was well timed as it coincided with the update of the University’s 5-year Carbon Management Plan and our framework for meeting our carbon reduction targets. We were able to incorporate a number of key themes from the Campaign in raising awareness and supporting our Green Champions."
Bert Young
Former Carbon & Energy Manager,
University of Glasgow
Why does it matter?
Most organisations focus on data and technical solutions at the expense of people. This undermines the likely savings from technical and data solutions. In every organisation every employee uses energy - some more than others - either because of their job function or because of wasteful habits.
ISO 50001 focus on ‘competency’ of key people and ‘awareness’ of everyone in the organisation.
A Different Approach
Many initiatives and programmes engaging staff are effective initially but eventually run out of steam and lose momentum. This is often because no effective tailor-made strategy was established and/or possibly because of high employee turnover. Quite often people by-pass the need for a strategy and for expedience, opt for an off-the-shelf solution.
For this reason it is important to take time and effort to identify the technical opportunities and match them with a good culture and a sound understanding of what makes people tick.
Energy Conscious Organisations (EnCO)
In 2020, John teamed up with Jes Rutter and James Brittain to found Energy Conscious Organisations (EnCO). Further details can be found on:
encofoundation.com
which has useful facts like the EnCO matrix and case studies on organisations who have made significant savings by engaging colleagues.
How can I help?
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Analysing organisational culture and norms via bespoke staff surveys and face-to-face interviews
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Identify people-based energy saving opportunities
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Matching energy saving potential to business objectives and identify key people groups
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Defining roles and responsibilities and applying established psychological principles
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Competence-based needs analysis and development of evidence-based strategy
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Training design and delivery
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Communication strategy and design
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Monitoring energy savings and maintaining momentum
Past and current clients include:
Diageo, Ibstock Brick, Wessex Water, BT, BBC, Primark, Sainsburys, Debenhams, University of Edinburgh, Aston University, Foreign Office, Ministry of Defence, Guy’s & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.