Have you identified the equipment in your business which is using the majority of energy consumed by sub-metering or calculating usage based on energy ratings and operational times?

When you work out the cost of energy used in your business in terms of € per kWh, you will see that electricity is more than twice the cost of oil and liquid gas per unit of energy consumed. Natural gas is approximately half the cost of oil.

The carbon footprint of your business is related to the total amount of greenhouse gases produced from the burning of fossil fuels such as gas, oil, and diesel and petrol used in transportation.

Have you replaced inefficient lighting such as halogen and tungsten bulbs with energy efficient LED lighting?

Do you have a system in place to monitor energy consumed on a monthly basis?

Fridges and freezers consume large amounts of power. If fridges and freezers are set at incorrect temperature settings this can cause an increase in energy consumption.

Staff awareness on energy management is a key part in controlling energy consumption. For example; turning off key equipment when not required (e.g. ovens, fans, air conditioning, lighting).

Do you measure and record the reading on your water meter weekly or monthly?

Have you performed any tests or fitted any leak detection devices?

Have you taken measures to calculate or measure water used by the key water users in your business?

Have you fitted any devices to toilets or urinals that reduce their water consumption?

Have you bought water efficient appliances or fitted any devices to taps to reduce consumption?

Does your business either (a) collect rainwater or (b) collect process water for flushing or toilets, washing of floors, yards and vehicles?

Do you have a waste segregation system on site to ensure food waste is collected in a food waste bin, and that recyclables are segregated from landfill/general waste?

Do you have a system in place to monitor waste arising by weight or volume? You may for example use invoices from waste contractors that tell you how much waste is collected and record these values.

Do you know the cost of collection for a bin/tonne of general waste, food waste, and recyclable waste?

Have you quantified the packaging received by your business and considered trying to reduce this?

Have you reviewed the quantity of food waste produced by your business and have you taken measures to reduce or prevent this?

Have you provided any staff training on what is required of them in terms of waste segregation in the business and what they can do to reduce and minimise waste?

Management must be convinced that the investment of staff time and finances in the area of resource efficiency and utility cost control is necessary for a resource efficiency programme to work.

Do you measure the energy consumption, water consumption and waste produced against the business activity/production? E.g. Litres of water used per unit of production.

Is there a member of staff with specific responsibility for managing utility consumption and costs? Sometimes this person is referred to as the “Green Champion” or “Resource Efficiency Leader”.

Has your business written down a list of actions that it will undertake to reduce consumption in the business? E.g. Reduce energy consumption, water consumption etc.

Does your business have procedures in place to raise employee awareness on the consumption of resources such as energy, water, waste, etc.?

When purchasing goods, services, works and utilities does your business consider impacts on the environment, aim to buy locally to reduce transportation costs, and assess the environmental impacts of raw materials etc.?