The team at Positive News recently interviewed Simon Nicholls, managing director of UK renewable energy developer Olympus Power, about how small businesses could benefit from installing solar panels on their rooftops. The interview covers: likely installation costs, payback times, building requirements, and more. Stay up-to-date with the latest news The Sparks newsletter by Energy Solutions Oxfordshire…

In the UK we’re lucky to have a wealth of historic and listed buildings. Some of these are homes, but many operate as businesses, often in the hospitality or tourism industries. Older buildings tend to have more complex issues when it comes to energy being wasted in the building, and they require a specific approach.…

UK schools are missing targets on reducing energy use per pupil. New data released shows that Yorkshire & the Humber and the North East are the only regions where schools have collectively reduced how much they spend on energy per pupil, cutting expenditure by 4.4% and 0.9% respectively. Every other region of England increased its…

Research published by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) found that to meet the government’s net zero targets, commercial buildings must reduce their energy use by up to 80%. The research determined that a typical commercial building uses 284 kWhe/m2, compared to the 55-70 kWhe/m2 which would be needed by 2050 to comply…

Manufacturing and engineering businesses tend to be high energy users, with annual energy bills well exceeding £10,000. Not only does this cut into business profits, it also needlessly adds to overall carbon emissions from human activity – which, as you’ll be aware, are already dangerously high. This means there’s huge opportunity in the manufacturing industry…

Start up company EcoSync is developing a smart temperature control system using artificial intelligence. They have secured additional innovation funding from OxFutures to continue the development. Ecosync’s technology helps businesses synchronise heating with occupancy levels. With the added control over the temperature settings, they can improve energy efficiency – avoiding empty rooms being heated. They are aiming,…

There are a myriad of different ways to make energy improvements in a workspace to reduce wasted energy – reducing running costs and carbon emissions. These range from no-cost, low-effort options like improvement staff awareness and energy management to higher-cost interventions such as replacing your heating system or installing rooftop solar PV panels. Not all…

Ikea plans to spend an additional £3.4 billion on renewable energy technology by the end of this decade – including building wind and solar farms, installing electric charge points at its premises, and exploring energy storage too. The company spent £2.5 billion over the last decade on installing 935,000 solar panels on the roofs of…

How many green jobs could be created in your constituency? This new tool from the Green New Deal team can tell you, and help you lobby your local MP to put them in place. Green New Deal are highlighting the jobs lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, and calling for the government to replace lost jobs…