The British Standards Institution (BSI) has announced that world leading air filtration manufacturer, Camfil Farr, has become the first company to join its recently launched Kitemark scheme for Energy Reduction Verification (ERV). The scheme independently verifies and certifies those organisations that achieve a reduction in carbon emissions through lower energy use.
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has announced that world leading air filtration manufacturer, Camfil Farr, has become the first company to join its recently launched Kitemark scheme for Energy Reduction Verification (ERV). The scheme independently verifies and certifies those organisations that achieve a reduction in carbon emissions through lower energy use.
With its UK headquarters in Haslingden, Lancashire, Camfil Farr has a reputation for promoting the efficient use of energy and has demonstrated that air filters directly influence energy consumption within the air handling units which heat, cool and clean the air in air conditioning systems.
The company aims to educate property managers and owners about the substantial benefits of replacing existing filtration assets with low energy air filters. Camfil, the world leader in the production and development of air filters, became the first manufacturing company in the UK to be awarded BSI’s Energy Management Standard BS EN 16001 in July 2010. As a manufacturing and service orientated business, Camfil Farr took the opportunity to examine its own current and future energy usage.
In light of rising and unstable energy costs, increasing legislation and the government’s policy of driving energy consumption reduction, the company wanted to do as much as it could to demonstrate social responsibility while helping its employees, suppliers and customers to learn how to reduce energy and save money.
Bill Wilkinson, Camfil Farr Managing Director commented:
“Although we are not a huge energy consumer, the total savings achieved were remarkable. In the first year (2008) we achieved a saving of over 22% of our total energy bill and in the verification year (2009) a further 14.6%. This represented an annual saving of nearly £200,000 from an energy bill which exceeded £500,000 in 2007.”
Bill Wilkinson continues:
“Camfil have always been energy aware, this awareness is an integral part of our culture and our operations. We have already had a lean management culture”.
When asked what advice he would give to other companies seeking to join the scheme, Wilkinson said: “Simply doing nothing is just not acceptable, but as we found out, by implementing a company-wide Employee Engagement Scheme, every employee contributed to the substantial energy savings that we made”.
Employee Engagement
Camfil’s Energy Reduction Employee Engagement Scheme is known as CEASE (Camfil Energy Awareness Saves Environment). This scheme was first implemented in 2007. The scheme rewards employees with bonuses related to their contribution to energy reduction.
They also introduced an employee suggestion system during their Sustainability Week in 2009. Out of 147 suggestions in the Sustainability Week activity, 74 were acted on immediately (known internally as :Just DO It’s – JDI’s). Other benefits that Camfil enjoyed from the Employee Engagement Scheme include significant behavioural change both at work and at home, and positive attitudes across the company.
BSI Assistance
“The help received from BSI to formalise our Energy Management system was invaluable”. Says Wilkinson. “The Kitemark scheme was engaged immediately, so the absolute “proof” was achieved and is now in the public domain”.
Unlike other schemes, BSI’s ERV Kitemark scheme has been designed specifically with CRC requirements in mind and therefore requires that only greenhouse gas emissions from energy use are taken into account. This allows organisations to focus solely on their energy emissions rather than having carbon resulting from transport and other sources complicate any measurements.
The Environment Agency has also approved the scheme as a CRC Early Action Metric that organisations may adopt to demonstrate carbon reductions. In fact, it is the only scheme to be based on the implementation of an energy management system – BS EN16001 – which demands more of organisations in that continual improvement and ongoing identification of energy reduction opportunities is required.
Camfil Farr were also the first UK Manufacturing company to achieve the BS EN 16001 energy management standard in July 2010. With the BSI Kitemark recognised and trusted by over 82 per cent of the UK population, the ERV Kitemark scheme provides a comprehensive alternative to both the Carbon Trust and CEMAR standards, which do not provide a BS EN 16001 based system around which long-term reductions can be identified, managed and realised. After being approved for the ERV Kitemark pilot scheme Camfil Farr was audited by BSI to assess its use of energy.
Although many of the energy reduction mechanisms required were already in place, mainly due to the company working to EN14001 with BSI for 10 years, the company reviewed certain aspects of its operations and corrected its existing data collection activities. It also undertook a pre-audit, and identified areas of non-conformance set out in the action plan and rectified them.
The transition to the ERV Kitemark was smooth and was completed less than six months after joining the pilot scheme. Commenting on the impact the ERV Kitemark scheme has made on the company, Camfil Farr’s Managing Director, Bill Wilkinson, said: “The ERV Kitemark is an externally recognised verification that we have saved over 14 per cent on energy in the current compliance year and also demonstrates to our stakeholders that we practice what we preach. BSI has put us on the map and verified our system in a very short space of time”.
To find out how Camfil Farr received the Kitemark, download the Case Study :
For further guidance, sign up for one of the free webinars below:
Friday 29th October at 14:30 – Air Conditioning Inspections
People see the Air Conditioning Energy Inspections as a burden rather than a benefit, instead of seeing the AC Inspection as an opportunity to get air conditioning systems to run better and save money as well as Carbon. Register here.
Monday 1st November at 10:30 – Sustainability Energy Saving Pharmaceutical & General Focus
“If you do what you have always done, you will get what you always got – expensive Energy costs” Pharma & General Industries have never faced a more challenging period, when does a challenge become an opportunity? Register here.
Monday 8th November at 14:30 – Practice what we preach – Implementing BS EN 16001
Register to find out how Camfil Farr became the first UK Manufacturing Company to achieve Energy Management British Standard EN 16001. Register here.
Friday 12th November at 10:30 – Low Carbon Consultants / Energy Assessors
Camfil filters can reduce your energy bills by between 25- 50% – ideal for CRC compliance and energy reduction targets. Minimise energy use and carbon emissions from buildings simply by upgrading to Low Energy Air Filters. Register here.
Monday 22nd November at 14:30 – Air Filtration Design and Application
It is often overlooked that Air Filtration systems when well designed and properly operated can deliver very substantial energy cost savings and carbon reduction while still delivering the required Air Quality. This training webinar is focused on Energy Efficiency with additional modules that briefly cover Air Quality, Filter theory and testing, Market sectors and filter types. Register here.
For more information about AC Inspections, filter technology, clean air solutions, improving air quality, low energy air filters, CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment), AHUs (Air Handling Units) and the EPBD, visit the www.ac-inspections.co.uk blog and subscribe to the RSS feed here.
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We look forward to hearing from you soon.
The Camfil Ltd Team
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