The second Energy Conscious Organisation (EnCO) conference was held in October and proved to be another valuable opportunity for delegates from around the world to share their experiences of best practice on the road to net zero.

The conference was supported by ESTA Energy and the Energy Institute. It was very well attended with an audience made up of both EnCO practitioners and international organisations, with delegates travelling from Kenya, France, Holland and the US, as well as the UK.

Sharing experience at the EnCo Conference 2023
Photo: P Webb

Opened by James Brittain, one of the founding members of EnCO, the conference’s theme was ‘friendly, intimate and inclusive’. Indeed, the room resonated to the over-arching theme of ‘sharing our experiences’.

The conference was sponsored by Surple, with an introduction of new online access to the EnCO Matrix Tool, where organisations can start their journey. To start your journey, just scan the image in Fig 1 with your phone and see where your organisation is in terms of being an Energy Conscious Organisation.

This is a great tool to launch the process of being an ‘Aspiring EnCO’.

Fig 1: EnCO Matrix Tool QR code
Source: Surple

What is an EnCO? 
Let me explain what an Energy Conscious Organisation is. It is an organisation that has undergone an energy management programme of reducing energy through people interventions, ie by getting people involved. The EnCO initiative integrates employee engagement with technical opportunities to reduce energy consumption, costs and carbon emissions to accelerate the journey to net zero.

The seed for EnCO came together during an ESTA meeting in 2017, when Jes Rutter was presenting to his peers. He described how, whilst delivering energy management services to his clients, he saw that significant savings were being made simply by implementing change and empowering people.

Rutter wasn’t sure of the response he would receive from his peers, but soon heard from John Mulholland and James Brittain saying they had witnessed this as well. Since that day, over 180 energy consultants have been trained and joined this group to share their experiences.

Kickstart the journey to net zero 
Creating an EnCO makes complete sense to kickstart a global organisation’s net zero pathway, whether the organisation is small or large. The EnCO conference really did open the minds of businesses to embrace this concept. Not only does it kickstart the journey, but it will also accelerate the net zero journey. We heard seven organisations share their journeys and it was truly refreshing to see that although there were variations on the challenges faced along the way, the outcomes were all similar with reduced consumption, reduced cost and reduced carbon.

The companies that shared their journeys, and had all made significant advancements and continued improvement this year, were: Imerys, Portmeiron Group, Vodaphone, The Celtic Collection, Blood Donor Estate, Best Energy Kenya, and The London Stadium.

We heard seven organisations share their journeys and it was truly refreshing to see that although there were variations on the challenges faced along the way, the outcomes were all similar with reduced consumption, reduced cost and reduced carbon.

The conference was not just about sharing knowledge and hearing recent case studies, it also recognised the achievements attained over the last 12 months.

Lifetime Achievements Award: John Mullholland 
Registered EnCO Organisation: Wendy Cheesman, Magdalen College School 
Registered EnCO Organisation: Best Energy, Movenpick Hotel, Nairobi 
Aspiring EnCO Organisation: Fitzroy Hutchinson, The Celtic Collection

This was the second conference of an evolving initiative that really is growing in momentum. And with the net zero deadline looming in 2050, it is refreshing to see organisations starting to embrace this process. The EnCO programme provides us with a clear solution to take organisations from point one of their journeys to the next. It offers a clear and concise measure to deliver energy management ‘best practices’ within organisations and we need to embrace these solutions promptly. If we don’t, the consequences long-term could be disastrous. When organisations follow these processes, they really can make a difference.

Like all engineering solutions there is a process in place to implement five important factors – engagement, alertness, skills, recognition and adaptation.

This is a process that will support better understanding of where the gaps are to deliver this solution.

If we implement this programme today, there is a powerful payoff. We will start to deliver our net zero targets easily, as 50% of these targets are addressed by reducing demand, enabling us to see our global emissions reduce in line with our net zero journey, and financial benefits.

The scene is now set for the next 12 months and the year 2024 conference.

If you are an energy expert or an organisation and want to learn more, go to the ‘Scan me’ link in Fig 1 or contact [email protected] for more information.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the authors only and are not necessarily given or endorsed by or on behalf of the Energy Institute.