Carbon Advice Group & All Links On Global Warming Here

Carbon Advice Group offers  you a great opportunity to be its member and earn money as well.  Be a member of it and spread the word around the world.  You will be doing a service to mankind by being  a part of a group which strives for reduction of Global Warming and CO2 emissions.                                                


Everyday actions like driving a car, heating your home and office, transporting goods and even using your computer use energy and produce greenhouse gas emissions (such as carbon dioxide) which contribute to climate change.

You can compensate for your unavoidable emissions by buying carbon credits from an internationally verified project that makes an equivalent greenhouse gas saving. This is called ‘carbon offsetting’.

Is this a ‘cure’ for climate change?

Offsetting your carbon footprint will not reverse the effects already caused by your carbon dioxide emissions. The harm to the environment caused by these emissions cannot be undone. However, by saving an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide elsewhere, you can help to minimise the total global emissions.

Once you know what your carbon footprint is, you can buy the equivalent amount in ‘carbon credits’ from our internationally verified emission reduction projects that have made a greenhouse gas saving. These projects may be in another part of the world to where you created the emissions, however they will still have the same positive effect on the environment.

What do you get in return?

We will send you green certificates and window displays for your business, and green windscreen “permits” for your carbon offset cars. We will also provide you with our carbon neutral logo that you can use on your letterhead to demonstrate to your customers, suppliers and competitors that you have taken the initiative and are doing your bit for the environment.

Where does the money go?

We are committed to assisting you in every step of the way in achieving your low carbon goals. Your investment is used to purchase high quality carbon credits. We promise that we will deliver the carbon dioxide reductions that you have bought. These reductions will:

Be independently verified by a Designated Operational Entity.

Meet internationally recognised Carbon Offset standards.

Be registered, delivered and cancelled on your behalf with an Independent Carbon Credits Registry.

By offsetting your CO2 emissions with the Carbon Advice Group, you can be assured that your money is being invested to reduce the equivalent level of CO2 in a selected portfolio of projects around the world.

We only create or invest in offsets which are independently verified to meet the highest standards. In particular we focus on projects which can meet the demanding rigour of the United Nations Clean Development
Mechanism (Certified Emissions Reductions) or an internationally recognised standard such as the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) or the Gold Standard for UN and Verified projects.

We also offer Land Use and Forestry projects as a popular option which can be independently verified to meet our standards or one of the internationally recognised standards.

We are not tied to any particular Offset type or project initiator so we can create a diversified portfolio of offsets to meet our needs and we only work with the leading international financial institutions and accredited Carbon Offsetters including members of International Energy Trading Association (IETA).

This ensures that we can always spend the maximum amount of money on the most effective offsets available. We exclude any project where we feel there may be questions over the effectiveness of the chosen methodology or where we think it's the responsibility of individual businesses to address their operations. We keep you fully informed of our investments through email and on our website.

Our standards

Our selection criteria dictate that the projects we invest in demonstrate the following:

• Sustainable Development – helping communities better themselves in a way that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
• Welfare – projects must result in improvements to human quality of life and lead to safer living conditions for all participants.
• Environmental Security – projects must protect the local environment of the community in which they are undertaken and ensure that both short and long term improvements are achieved.
• Accountability – Projects must be monitored by independent bodies to ensure criteria are met and that target calculations are accurately reported.
• Transparency – All projects must be able to clearly demonstrate how and where all investment is utilized.
• Additionality – All projects must produce carbon reductions or removals that could not have taken place without project implementation.

Tips

• Check regularly on your consumption of electricity, gas and oil, and that your bills relate to what you actually use, rather than an estimate.
• Switch off lights in empty rooms and corridors – especially at the end of the day. This can save up to 15% on your energy bill
• Keep windows closed in cold weather. If staff are too warm, turn the heating down instead
• Don’t use more light than you need. Remove or switch off unused light fittings
• Clean light fittings yearly. Dirt reduces lighting efficiency, encouraging people to switch more lights on.
• Set the thermostat at 19 degrees C – costs rise by 8% for every 1 degrees C increase
• Don’t heat unused space. Storerooms, corridors and areas where there’s heavy physical work can be set to lower temperatures. Reduces heating during holidays and weekends
• Check thermostats are sited out of draughts and away from either cold or hot spots
• Keep radiators clear of furniture – it reduces their efficiency output

Lighting

• Label light switches and encourage people to turn lights off after use to help with saving energy
• Use time switches to control display lighting
• Have lighting levels checked – are they inappropriately high for the task? Local task lighting may reduce glare and save energy
• Replace older 38mm (T12) fluorescent tubes with 26mm T8 types that give a better colour light and use 8% less energy*
• Fit daylight sensors to areas that receive natural light, to turn off lighting and maximise the use of daylight
• Replace lighting with new high frequency triphosphor fluorescent lights. These can be dimmed and use around 20% less energy*
• Review the use and control of exterior lighting. Sodium lights are most effective for night-time security. Consider fitting automatic photocell switching

* All figures and percentages (%) quoted have been taken from the set of figures provided by OFGEM in July 2006.

Office Equipment and Gas Appliances

• Switch off office equipment when not in use or when leaving the office. Consider fitting time switches to turn off equipment at night
• Configure the energy saving features of IT equipment
• Select office equipment that is ‘A-Rated’ for energy saving. Ask suppliers about saving energy when buying new equipment
• Avoid using supplementary electric heaters in the office
• Switch kettles for well-insulated water boilers. Remove lamps from internal vending machines

Heating and Hot Water

• Avoid overheating space or water – check thermostats and controls regularly
• Check time switches so heating times match building occupancy
• Check radiators and heat emitters are free from obstructions
• Check insulation on pipes, and lagging on hot water storage tanks
• Large buildings should use an electric immersion heater or a small boiler rather than the mains to heat water in the summer
• Avoid using large boilers for small amounts. Save energy by installing smaller hot water storage systems, valve off multiple units or fit spray taps
• Hot water for catering and washing should be heated to 60-65 C to avoid legionella but no higher to reduce excessive heat loss*
• Fit thermostatic radiator valves to control local temperature, or a mixing valve based on the outside temperature (effective for a mild spring or autumn)
• Install ceiling fans to help de-stratify the air, reduce heat loss through the roof and improve comfort whilst saving energy
• Tall, poorly insulated buildings, like factories and warehouses, are often best heated with direct-fired radiant tube heaters

Boiler Plant

• If your boiler is approaching 20 years old, you should consider a replacement. Replace with an A-rated boiler
• Check boilers are well insulated. If fitting additional insulation, you should ensure this does not interfere with the burner or air supply
• Record flue gas temperature over a few months. A rising temperature indicates boiler fouling
• Fit sequencing controls in multi-boiler installations to prevent boilers running at a part load
• Check regularly for water leaks (from pipework, valves, flanges and the boiler itself). If feed and expansion tanks are often filling, a significant leak is likely
• Ensure all boiler air vents are kept clear. Optimum combustion of the boiler fuel is important for both efficiency and safety reasons
• Insulate relevant piping, valves, flanges and other fittings on steam and hot water distribution systems, to prevent 10% heat loss*
• Maximise the return of condensate to the boiler to save energy and water treatment costs. Seek help if condensate is unnecessarily going to drain

Insulation

• Reduce draughts on windows and doors. Seal with inexpensive self-adhesive draught excluder to reduce air infiltration and heat loss by up to 10%*
• Ensure external doors have automatic closures. Consider fitting a draught lobby or porch on busy doorways
• Use plastic strip curtains to reduce heat loss and create visual security at loading bays and service doors, while still allowing easy access
• Insulate cavity walls and roof voids, without disturbing commercial activities, and help reduce heat loss by up to 35%*
• Fit docking seals to temperature controlled warehouses to reduce heat loss, combat dust and maintain product quality
• Ensure pipes and valves are effectively insulated
• Loading bays will benefit from airlocks or rapid roller shutters automatically opening and shutting using presence detectors
• Upgrade insulation levels on factory roofs and metal clad buildings to drastically reduce heat loss in winter and keep cool in summer, saving energy all year round

Air Conditioning

• Minimise heat gain – reduce tungsten lighting use and employ energy saving features of office equipment
• Improve air movement and ventilation to lower temperatures. Consider switching off air conditioning, opening windows and using ceiling fans to circulate air
• Control solar gains using blinds in sunny weather, and consider shading or upgraded insulation to walls subject to solar gain
• Save energy by avoiding excess cooling – air conditioning is rarely needed below 24-26 C
• Check the air conditioning control system so that operational hours match building occupancy
• Ensure chilled pipes and ducts are well insulated and undamaged, filters are cleaned and air conditioning equipment is serviced regularly
• Use free cooling from night ventilation, exposing building fabric etc. to minimise air conditioning usage
• Check control strategies to ensure cooling and heating does not occur simultaneously

Motors

• Consider if the motor drive system is doing a useful job; eliminate any unnecessary equipment left running. Reduce load on motor where possible
• Switch the motor off when not needed. Possible techniques include manual switching off, interlocking, time switches and load sensing
• Maximise energy saving and minimise motor losses by always specifying higher efficiency motors (HEMs) where feasible
• Purchase a higher efficiency motor for little or no extra cost than standard. This could save you energy for less than the cost of a month’s electricity
• Ensure proper care and attention is given during motor repair. Ensure all equipment is maintained properly
• Change pulley sizes on belt-driven motor systems to reduce speed and save energy
• In pump and fan applications, use motor speed control such as a variable speed drive (VSD) for regulating flow rather than throttles, dampers or re-circulation systems

Compressed Air

• Listen for air leaks in quiet periods. Repair leaks, most commonly on connectors, flanges and flexible hoses
• Ensure air inlets to compressors are ducted from the coldest source (usually outside). Reducing air inlet take by 6 C increases output by 2%*
• Use low pressure blowers for applications such as air knives, lances, agitation, blow-guns etc
• Don’t misuse compressed air, for example cleaning workbenches and floors, or cooling
• Don’t leave air compressors running when not required – when idling some draw up to 60% of their full load power*
• Read meters at regular intervals to see whether you have more units running than necessary for your compressed air. Install controls to optimise usage
• Fit zone-isolation valves, under time control or interlocked to the area served, so parts of the site can operate without air going through the whole works
• Ensure compressed air systems are maintained regularly and properly to help your energy saving efforts
• Don’t produce compressed air at a pressure greater than required, or filter and dry it to unnecessarily high levels

Refrigeration Plant

• Avoid setting refrigeration controls for a lower temperature than necessary – just 5 C too low will add up to 10-20% to electricity consumption*
• Clean refrigeration condensers regularly. Blocked condensers increase condensing temperature, and cooling capacity drops
• Ensure your plant is regularly checked for refrigerant leaks – ideally every six months*
• Insulate cold refrigerant pipes between the evaporator and compressor. Do not run them through hot areas
• Keep refrigerator door seals in good condition. To save energy, keep doors closed as much as possible for cooled rooms and appliances
• Refrigeration appliances storing non-perishable goods (i.e. soft drinks) should be turned off when not needed
• Ensure air or water surrounding refrigeration condensers is as cool as possible. Shade condensers from sunlight and ensure warm air / water is not re-circulated
• Remove obstructions to refrigeration airflows. Ensure defrosting is working properly so that evaporators do not become iced up

Process Plant

• Try to run your process plant at full output as an under-utilised plant can be less efficient
• Measure the energy performance of significant processes separately. Deterioration can be detected early and the impact of savings measures quantified
• Question whether processing regimes are optimised between quality and cost. Process times may be long as ‘that’s the way it’s always been done’
• Consider and build in energy efficiency opportunities when procuring and installing a new process plant
• Consider switching off the process plant when idle, or alter production schedules to better utilise plant when operating
• Ensure process plant equipment is properly maintained and any energy saving features are utilised properly
• Where heat is rejected from processes, consider opportunities for heat recovery and its use elsewhere, such as for space heating

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Plant

• A CHP system can be more efficient and offer substantial savings as waste heat is not discarded and carbon dioxide emissions are reduced
• Fuel inputs to, and electricity outputs from ,a good quality CHP are exempt from the Climate Change Levy
• A CHP plant is available in a wide range of sizes, and so can be tailored to many applications
• Consider the cost of maintenance, additional gas supply and connection to the electricity network when deciding on the economics of a CHP system
• If your site has demands for heat and electricity for more than 4,500 hours per year, it is worth considering a CHP
• A CHP plant is capital intensive, but it is possible to attain third party finance

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