All WAYDEN’s tips for a successful energy transition

Essential to face current and future environmental challenges, the energy transition of organizations responds to major and urgent issues.

Do you want to initiate or develop an energy transition in your company? Discover all of WAYDEN’s advice on how to successfully manage change and make your organization a committed player in environmental protection.

Succeeding in your energy transition: the issues and challenges

According to government figures, greenhouse gas emissions increased by 58% globally between 1990 and 2021. To limit the rise in global temperatures and stay below +2°C, the countries of the European Union have committed to Reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.

In 2022, the sectors with the most CO2 emissions were transport (32%); agriculture and forestry (19%); manufacturing (18%); the use of residential and tertiary buildings and activities (16%); the energy industry (11%) and centralized waste treatment (4%).

Faced with this observation, companies in all sectors of activity play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in the preservation of natural resources and in the protection of biodiversity. The company can also directly benefit from the implementation of an energy policy: this can indeed allow it to strengthen your employer brand and attract talent, gain competitiveness, but also reduce costs and optimize your processes and profitability.

However, activating an energy transition is a complex project that requires the implementation of transversal actions within the company and that often responds to economic, human, managerial and organizational challenges.

 

How to succeed in your energy transition? All our advice

Here are the key steps to follow to succeed in your organization’s energy transition:

• Carry out an energy diagnosis

Before taking any action, it is imperative to carry out an energy audit in all strata of the company. This audit will make it possible to identify the weak points as well as the corrective actions to be implemented and the avenues for improvement to be explored.

Thanks to a site visit and data collection, this diagnosis will make it possible to evaluate:

• The level of energy performance of the company’s premises;
• Internal practices;
• Compliance with energy efficiency regulations;
• Waste treatment;
• Sources of energy waste;
• The operations that generate the most greenhouse gas emissions;
• Energy equipment (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, etc.), their efficiency and performance;
• Operational processes;
• …

The audit will also be an opportunity to calculate the company’s carbon footprint in order to assess its carbon footprint and quantify the greenhouse gas emissions for each of its activities, departments, subsidiaries, etc.

• Implement an action plan

In view of the lessons learned during the audit, it will then be necessary to set up a tailor-made action plan and prioritized according to the points to be addressed as a priority.

Here are some examples of corrective actions that can be implemented to accelerate the company’s energy transition:

• Reducing energy consumption (energy-efficient lighting, heating and air conditioning systems; improving the thermal insulation of building walls, windows and roofs; implementing responsible consumption habits; switching off appliances on standby; regulating the temperature of heating and air conditioning; shutting down unused appliances, etc.);
• Switch to renewable energies (installation of solar panels, a biomass boiler, wind turbines, etc.);
• Implement a transition to responsible digital technology ;
• Encourage sustainable mobility (set up a travel plan with less polluting transport: carpooling system, provision of bicycles, etc.);
• Optimising waste management (selective sorting, reduction of production, reuse, reprocessing, etc.);
• Reduce the environmental impact in each of the company’s business units (supply chain, transport, logistics, responsible purchasing, eco-design, implementation of teleworking, sustainable materials, etc.);
• Undertake environmental certification procedures (ISO 14001 Environmental Management System; BREEAM – Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method…);
• …

• Involve all stakeholders

The success and sustainability of any change management depends largely on the commitment of employees. It is therefore essential toInvolve all teams at every stage of the energy transition project. It is also important to train and raise awareness among employees and managers of the importance of the actions put in place and the challenges associated with this change project.

In addition, it will also be necessary to involve other stakeholders (suppliers, business partners, etc.) in the transition project and encourage them to adopt sustainable practices aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives.

• Adopt a continuous improvement approach

An energy transition is a long-term project that must be long-term and must be adapted according to regulatory changes. It is therefore important to integrate the energy transition into the A continuous improvement approach. To do this, start by set up key performance indicators (KPIs) such as: the carbon emission rate for each activity and operation; the level of energy consumption per unit of production; the rate of reduction of CO2 emissions; the percentage of waste recycled…

These indicators will need to be closely monitored and actions adapted to the results observed.

In addition, it will be necessary to ensure that transparent and silo-free communication is adopted throughout the energy transition project, internally, but also with external stakeholders: customers, partners, suppliers, etc. This will make it possible to attest to the sincerity of the company’s environmental commitments and to enhance and promote its brand image as well as its employer brand.