Carbon reduction confusion
Solar Gard uncovers business attitudes to energy reduction and offers a way to help businesses comply with new government legislation.
In April 2010, the Government launched a new carbon reduction scheme, called the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme. Solar Gard, a company that produces solar control window film that helps reduce a building’s energy consumption, commissioned Vanson Bourne to conduct research with 100 facilities managers in large firms, to uncover business attitudes to energy reduction within the context of the CRC legislation.
The research campaign was managed by Touchdown PR, Solar Gard’s PR agency. Touchdown planned to leverage the research findings to generate headline-grabbing media coverage highlighting attitudes of UK businesses towards reducing carbon emissions as well as their readiness to comply with the government’s CRC scheme since they would face hefty fines for non-compliance.
The survey findings were impactful. A quarter of organisations did not know their energy consumption; one in five businesses did not have a carbon reduction strategy in place and just 5% of respondents knew what one tonne of CO2 would cost under the CRC scheme. In addition, the research showed a general ignorance of government backed schemes and directives promoting energy efficiency. Touchdown developed and issued a press release announcing these research results timed to coincide with the government’s introduction of the CRC scheme.
Media interest was significant. The data from the research was covered by the Financial Times and The Times national newspapers as well dozens of trade and environmental publications and websites, all positioning Solar Gard as a thought leader in the debate on carbon reduction. Media coverage generated from the survey has since been used by Solar Gard to promote a glazing energy analysis for the duration of the Carbon Reduction Commitments registration period (from the 1st of April to the 30th of September 2010).
Solar Gard Press Release:
Click here
Example media coverage:
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article7080724.ece
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aa7d4e68-3cef-11df-bbcf-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html
http://www.advfn.com/news_UK-Firms-Unprepared-for-CRC-Energy-Efficiency-Scheme-Claims-Survey-by-Solar-Gard_42263059.html
http://carbon.energy-business-review.com/news/uk_firms_ignorant_about_crc_scheme_solar_gard_survey_100407/
http://www.pfmonthenet.net/featuresarchive/article.aspx?ArticleID=32809
