Low Carbon London initiative to help companies cut emissions

A new Low Carbon London website has been launched by UK Power Networks to help companies better manage their energy consumption.

The website – www.lowcarbonlondon.info – is one of the cornerstones of a £30million programme that will explore new ways to generate and distribute electricity and manage energy consumption. The project is largely supported by the energy regulator Ofgem, which has contributed £24.9 million.

Londoners can use the website to sign up for various trials, from trialling smart meters and analysing electric vehicle usage to making best use of locally-generated electricity. It will also act as an information portal, offering expert advice from industry experts, Government and the media, and subscribers will receive regular newsletters about the progress of the project.

“We will be using real data to understand the challenges and opportunities which face electricity network operators in the low carbon future,” said Dave Openshaw, head of future networks for UK Power Networks. “Our findings will be relevant to any city, like London, which is committed to a sustainable future.”

UK Power Networks claims that the knowledge generated from the project will help shape the future of sustainable energy generation, delivery and consumption in London and the rest of the UK.

Other partners working on the project, which will also explore how new technology, operating and commercial arrangements can help make electricity networks more efficient, include the Greater London Authority, Mayor of London, Imperial College London and EDF Energy, among others.

The aim is to help the UK transition to a low carbon economy – one of the targets set by the European Union and also the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change. Businesses are currently preparing for the government's forthcoming CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, which will require around 4,500 of the largest organisations in Britiain to provide detailed information about their carbon footprints, and pay a 'Carbon Tax'.

The scheme has been criticised as a stealth tax on businesses, after the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010 scrapped plans to recycle the money generated as a reward to organsiations showing the greatest reduction in carbon footprint.