Net Zero programme approach

Why the programmatic approach to Net Zero?

For an organisation to reach Net Zero targets typically requires significant change in the way the organisation operates, with new knowledge, a new approach to work and potentially additional resource. Adoption solely of the project approach, picking visible short term opportunities for improvement within current organisational constraints invariably makes maintaining a trajectory towards Net Zero target realisation unlikely. The programmatic approach on the other hand works from the desired future backwards, ensuring that all conditions for arriving at Net Zero are put in place. Wattcraft and Riscon have brought together the ingredients necessary support you in ensuring that Net Zero becomes a reality for your organisation, empowering you to take action and giving you the clarity required for effective decision-making on Net Zero that is complementary to your core business aims.

How does Wattcraft work together with Riscon to deliver the programmatic approach?

Riscon and Wattcraft bring together experience and knowledge of programme implementation, industrial engineering and specialist sustainable energy engineering, giving an approach to Net Zero that is both conceptually sound and practical. Our experience of project delivery means that we are focused on pathways that are in tune with your organisation and its capacity for implementation at each stage of the process.

How do we work with you?

We start with workshops to include participants from relevant parts of the business with aim of cementing foundation concepts around Net Zero and, through the application of these, developing a programme for delivery. We then offer follow-on support, as required. The general flow of work we promote is as follows: Workshop 1 - Impact mapping: a) Bringing participants to a common understanding on Net Zero terminology, Net Zero concepts and the programmatic approach b) Development of an initial company-specific impact map Workshop 2 - Waypoint planning: a) Analysis of company data to inform workshop b) Consolidation and review of Net Zero impact map c) Analysis towards prioritisation of steps (Waypoints), based on knowledge available within the workshop, arriving at an outline programme for delivery. Consolidation of Net Zero programme Consolidation of waypoints based on further analysis with additional data provision, including further decision tool application Baseline emissions calculations from which to measure and monitor improvements Delivery services Engineering delivery of sustainable energy systems Net Zero dashboard and health checks Development of product emissions factor Retained Net Zero support services including annual reporting and progress monitoring.

Current work

Riscon and Wattcraft have been participating in a funded programme run by Burnley College that is supporting local companies in moving towards Net Zero. We have developed a suite of workshops to facilitate the adoption by companies of a programmatic approach towards net zero, setting visions and outcomes and establishing pathways to realisation of these. We then provide support in the implementation.

Our approach has been to empower those in key roles across companies from facilities through to procurement to work together in driving the required change and in tracking impact. It has been expressed by organisations that we have worked with that the systematic approach we encourage has helped them move from viewing Net Zero as an abstract and potentially overwhelming concept to something achievable through taking concrete, pragmatic and commercially viable steps.

Contact Rupert about your energy project:

Email rupert.blackstone@wattcraft.com 
or Phone +44 (0)1453 706500

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FAQs

Answers to common questions about renewable and sustainable energy solutions from Wattcraft

  • Often small companies do not feel they have the power to change larger organisations in the supply chain that they perceive are not significantly dependent on them. However, all parts of the supply chain will ultimately have to become Net Zero to meet legislative requirements and also for their businesses to be sustained into the future, given environmental pressures and increased scarcity of resources. Change can be brought about to a large extent through effective communication of the issues. It may be that the larger organisations are more receptive to taking steps towards Net Zero than might be apparent from the outside. By sharing ideas and objectives, there is the potential for increased cooperation and overall success for all. This communication might include conveying market advantage of operating in a way that takes environmental impact into account.

  • Ultimately Net Zero makes business sense. If you don’t direct resource into addressing it, you will likely lose far more in the future than the expenditure now, as you will not be operating sustainably. A hundred years ago, there were not the health and safety measures that are in place now. However, if you did not attend to health and safety nowadays, you would be out of business. The situation is not currently as extreme with Net Zero or other environmental measures, but this is the direction of travel, within the context of global climate impacts currently being at the worst end of the band of predictions. Of course you have to ensure business survival and particularly for small companies, it can be difficult to justify directing resource in the short term that could be directed towards survival in the short term. However, this underlines the importance of planning and projecting into the future. In order to work out what you need to do for Net Zero today, you need to have a vision of what you want the business to look like in the future and work backwards, building an understanding of measures that will be required to realise the vision, as with any business planning. Commercial considerations need to be taken into account with every step of the journey taken towards the vision and the aim should be to optimise the pathway to Net Zero for greatest business benefit, which should include cost savings along the way.

  • Priority should always be given to reducing energy demand before determining the appropriate form and scale of renewable energy supply, in accordance with the Energy Hierarchy. However, there may come a point whereby there are diminishing returns from the implementation of demand reduction measures and renewable energy is a more economically attractive proposition.

    For example, once a certain level of insulation is reached for a retrofitted building, then it may be uneconomic to carry on increasing the level of insulation and reducing the size of a biomass boiler or heat pump to supply the heat. However, it is not only the current costs that should be taken into account when deciding on the balance - the greater the level of energy demand reduction that can be implemented, the less the exposure will be to the future volatility of the energy supply market, renewable or otherwise.

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Email rupert.blackstone@wattcraft.com
Phone +44 (0)1453 706500

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