The legislative driver the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) comes into force next April, and will require many public and private organisations in the UK to provide definitive evidence of their energy consumption.
The purpose of this scheme is to reduce, over a defined period of time, the energy usage and carbon footprint of the country's largest energy consumers.
The ambition of the scheme is to effectively "manage down" energy usage and to encourage more sustainable longer term business behaviours with respect to energy and carbon.
It starts with those organisations that are metered every half hour, but there's a good chance that once underway the scheme could be used to change behaviours further down the energy usage ladder.
It's clearly a top priority and Colin Challen MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group recently stated that we would need to reduce CO2 emissions by 76% from their 1999 levels by 2050.
In order for carbon reduction to be effective it needs to be part of an organisation's whole ethos, one that's embedded and that underpins the organisation's policies, practices and operations.
But it's tough to start from scratch and many public sector organisations face the challenge of having to "retrofit" sustainability into their existing operations rather than implementing truly sustainable operations.
Add to this that the public sector has the additional pressure of ensuring efficient operations in order to reduce costs to the taxpayer and alongside volatile energy costs it must use its resources in a highly efficient manner.
So, how then can the public sector and its multitude of organisations quickly and smartly reduce their environmental impact without adversely impacting tight budgets?
Using technology tools to great effect
As the pressure mounts, the public sector must use technology as part of its campaign to cut carbon. Not just one-time spreadsheets, but tools that look deep into the organisation and report on energy usage in a near "real-time" manner.
By taking this approach organisations can measure carbon usage to manage resources and implement good environmental practices; report on carbon emission performance to a wide range of stakeholders and even change behaviours to find areas for improvement and make reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions.
There are software and solutions available that establish a baseline against which to measure improvements and prepare for future legislative changes. These tools provide a "window" through which an organisation can effectively monitor, measure and manage down its energy usage.
More and more organisations are being asked to comply with a number of sustainability regulations, among other challenges such as the rising cost of energy and resources. But with the help of technology, public sector organisations can make sustainability an integral part of operations while increasing efficiencies and delivering cost savings.
This approach to sustainability needs to live and breathe in an organisation in order for quick and smart carbon efficiency to be achieved.
Simon Godfrey is director of business development and government relations at SAP
