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Substantial savings from washrooms
Tony Rheinberg, commercial marketing manager for Armitage Shanks, makes some suggestions on how businesses can not only reduce water usage, but also make the most of government incentives on offer…
The importance of saving has never been more important: energy, fuel, water… And it isn’t too difficult to be a part of this sustainable movement - especially when a huge amount of money can be saved as part of this concerted effort.
Changes in lifestyle mean businesses use 55% more water than 25 years ago, and therefore managed control of water is paramount. Focused repairs and water-saving devices can radically reduce water consumption and translate into financial, bottom-line savings in a short time period.
Many simple, common problems lose water, and thus money, from a business - including leaking taps, wasteful toilet flushes, running taps and weak showers. The key is to deliver the exact amount of water at the right time and ensure it is efficiently removed and either recycled or returned to the water treatment system. We sometimes forget that water is not a truly infinite substance.
Case studies of hotels of varying sizes conducted by the BOC Foundation on hotel water efficiency, showed that savings of over 50% in water usage can be made by installing simple water saving devices – and this is equally so for the small hotel sector as it is for the large conglomerate. On top of this, DEFRA actively encourages businesses to save water through a scheme which enables you to claim 100% first year capital allowances on investments in technologies and products that encourage sustainable water use. This is equivalent to £30 for every £100 spent!
Dual-flush technology can save up to 25%. As a full flush is not always necessary, all Ideal Standard and Armitage Shanks’ push-button close-coupled WCs have dual-flush cisterns as standard. However, this is reliant on users knowing the system. The 4.5 litre flush - developed for commercial applications - is more suited to leisure, hospitality and public environments, with a high throughput of different users, whilst passing all government flush regulations and providing water reduction benefits.
Within busy public toilet areas, just one urinal with new waterless technology can save over 87,000 litres per year. The waterless technology uses a liquid-filled cartridge, which traps foul air, preventing it from rising and also new smells developing. This system also offers a range of other benefits including easier installation, lower maintenance and lower bacteria levels.
As an alternative, Sensorflow, which uses proximity sensors to detect usage, will flush a urinal according to chosen parameters, typically after every visit or every 30 minutes, reducing water consumption dramatically from the conventional continual flush.
In a world conscious of its diminishing natural resources, no object in the washroom is more important than the humble one that controls the flow of water. Conventional taps and mixers allow very little variation in water flow, relying on the user to turn the tap off when not required. Self-closing taps, set to run for a pre-determined time, save waste and ensure washrooms are not flooded.
Click cartridge technology can save over 5,000 litres of water per year in an average bathroom – multiply this by the number of rooms, or number of basins in any establishment and we reach a startling figure. To utilise this ground-breaking technology, the tap lever lifts until a resistance is felt, indicating a flow rate of 50% - saving up to 14.4 litres over just two minutes (at 0.5 bar pressure). Lifting the lever a little further provides the full 100% flow.
The Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) is a good source of information, and operates a labelling scheme, which easily identifies water-efficient products. The Scheme provides a credible, recognisable label and website to help others become aware of water issues and the products that address them.
The depth of knowledge and experience in a plethora of industries, in research and development, casting and assembly has enabled Armitage Shanks to provide cutting-edge performance in almost every commercial application, ensuring a solution for every requirement.

Software systems for SME’s
by Michael Hawthornthwaite, MD, Acid Computer Services
The IT revolution of the past three decades has impacted on every business of every size. It has given rise to enormous benefits and changes, some of which are understood better than others. Millions of small-to-medium sized businesses have had no choice other than to entrust one or more areas of their activity to a poorly understood electronic medium and the technicians who run it.
IT has also created some widely held misconceptions. In SME business circles, for example, it is generally held that software development is the preserve of large, liquid, technologically sophisticated organisations. This argument is reasonably well founded. Writing a major piece of computer software can be complex, tedious, time-consuming and frustrating; that is to say, expensive.
Ignorance is bliss?
Let’s face it, most people in business can just about manage to plug in a computer but couldn’t write a line of code to make their own doorbell ring! They are often in awe of the global IT giants. Many privately admit to feeling uncomfortable putting their business destinies in the hands of outside IT experts.
All businesses operate on the same basic financial model and there are a plethora of systems capable of managing the obvious. However, each sector and business is idiosyncratic to some degree. Bespoke software written to accommodate these differences and idiosyncrasies can often smooth operations, reduce costs, relieve tedium or improve the quality of customer relationships.
Dependence
Why then, are so many owner-mangers and SME directors reluctant to look into the potential benefits of using bespoke software? Because it means moving out of their comfort zone, perhaps, or because they are afraid of snowballing costs, disruption and downtime during commissioning and the eventual possible fragility in their system? No one wants to become dependent on an externally operated management tool that is perhaps temperamental, expensive to maintain and beyond his or her personal control.
Microsystems
These are just more widely held misconceptions, according to Michael Hawthornthwaite, MD of Manchester-based software developer, Acid Computer Services. “The reality is that most businesses could (a) afford and (b) benefit from, greater use of specialised computer software. Writing code to accommodate a function specific to a specialised business might cost as little as £2-10,000, with commensurate year-upon-year efficiency gains in multiples of the initial outlay. Simply updating an off-the-shelf package to better reflect current practice or market conditions can have a similarly positive effect.
Time
‘There are lots of proprietary (generic) time management systems on the market” says Michael, “but with flexitime working, unique shift patterns and variable pay rates it often pays to have your own demand or site specific software written. You can’t put a price on smooth-running staff time-control and accurate pay for overtime worked. That’s the sort of low-cost, high-impact software that we produce. It earns its keep from day one and keeps on paying back the investment every time a potential manning crisis is averted.
“In businesses and practices that rely on an appointment system, bespoke software can almost invariably improve efficiency and fee generation.”
Customer relations
Hawthornthwaite also quotes Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as a prime area in which enhanced or advanced software can produce easily quantifiable benefits on the bottom line. Relatively simple customer tracking, monitoring and prompting software can identify behaviour that indicates either potential for a problem to arise - that requires immediate intervention - or an unforeseen opportunity to cross sell or re-sell.
“People are forgetful” explains Michael, “computers can be programmed not to be.”
Any cyclic business with order/delivery gaps, periodic obsolescence or extended delivery times is likely to have its performance enhanced by the introduction of a CRM system. “It will need to be bespoke to match the precise needs of the customers of the business in question. Such systems also create a belief that the business in questions is ‘on the ball’; more caring and concerned; more interested, in the minds of its’ customers.”
Simply growing or updating the customer base can pay big dividends. Software modifications can be productive in any business where it makes sense to re-trawl the customer base or revisit the existing customer base with marketing offers such as discounts, ‘recommends’ or product variations/upgrades.
Audit
Acid’s most frequently requested bespoke software briefs are in the area of staff control and management, internal/external communications, human relations and personnel development, official compliance and corporate governance.
It is usual for bespoke software developers to conduct an audit of their potential customers’ existing systems and organisational methods before making and costing-out specific proposals.
Dealing with issues of the system’s reliability, security and durability at this stage is also key to achieving long term benefits. “It’s essential to build up a degree of trust with the customer,” says Hawthornthwaite. “Without transparency, sensitivity to the customers’ overriding priorities and a frank approach to the matter costs, progress will be slow”.
He contends that many businesses are unwittingly missing a trick by clinging to branded off-the-shelf software packages that might have served them well enough in the past but which have become inefficient or outdated.
“There is a strong case for re-visiting the question of choosing the most appropriate software for your business every two-to-three years. In an area of activity where technology leaps ahead relentlessly the question of falling behind the competition should never be far from director’s mind.
“Increasingly, the answer lies by thinking outside the generic box. In these times, having bespoke software written that is precisely specific to your business needs has become as matter-of-fact, and affordable, as ordering a new car or new carpets for the office or showroom.”
Michael Hawthornthwaite is Managing Director of Acid Computer Services. Acid develops bespoke software and database solutions for business, web development and search engine optimisation.
www.acidcs.co.uk

Company Food Waste Need not go to Landfill
Achieving zero-landfill status is a green dream for businesses eager to keep ahead of government initiatives, show commitment to helping the environment and reduce costly landfill taxes. However, a problem arises when businesses’ desire to become sustainable is not met, due to lack of infrastructure or collection schemes. For example, food waste is currently a hot topic for discussion amongst the industry but systems for collections are not readily in place. Whilst many companies now routinely recycle their packaging in designated bins, food waste often remains destined for landfill.
Each year the UK generates millions of tonnes of food waste from all parts of the food supply chain – food processing, retailing and catering. Whilst businesses may previously have concentrated on recycling cardboard, plastics and glass, it is becoming clear that they also need to turn attention to ‘greener’ methods of disposing of the food waste that is generated on site, from staff canteens and restaurants.
The importance of recycling food waste should not be underestimated: it has been calculated that recycling our food waste, rather than disposing of it to landfill, could make carbon savings equivalent to taking 1 in 5 cars off the road.
Cawleys, an innovative waste management and recycling company based in Luton, has recently launched a commercial service providing the answer for environmentally-conscious companies wanting to dispose of food waste using a totally ‘green’ solution.
Cawleys’ Food Recycling Round enables food waste producers to dispose of waste in an environmentally sustainable way through a system known as Anaerobic Digestion (AD.) This process is hailed as the future for food recycling in the UK, enabling food waste to be turned into renewable energy in a carbon-neutral process. Businesses using the service will be able to demonstrate their green credentials ahead of competitors by working with Cawleys’ Food Recycling Round.
Richard Swannell, Director of Market Development at WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) sees AD as a valuable tool in tackling climate change:
“AD is key to unlocking the hidden value in food waste and means positive action on climate change. Not only does it produce renewable energy and organic fertilizer, it also diverts food waste from landfill where it would have emitted methane – a climate change gas.”
Cawleys’ Food Recycling Round collects the food waste from the customer using a lorry that runs on biofuel and delivers it to the BiogenGreenfinch plant (part of the Bedfordia Group), with whom Cawleys have a unique partnership. At the plant depackaging, equipment separates any plastic, tin, card and paper from the food waste before it is processed. The food waste is then mixed with pig manure to form a substrate which is pasteurised and passed into a fermenter for anaerobic digestion. Bacteria break the food waste down and the methane gas produced is converted into electricity for the National Grid. The remaining by-product, a liquid digestate, is an excellent organic fertiliser which is used on the land, completing the natural lifecycle. The packaging removed during this process is taken to Cawleys’ Materials Recycling Facility, where any recyclable packaging can be recovered.
An additional advantage of Anaerobic Digestion is that it enables disposal of products that cannot be sent to landfill such as animal by-products - uncooked meat and raw fish. These must be sent to an approved outlet in order to prevent possible environmental and health risks. Using AD, this kind of waste can be dealt with alongside all other food waste. The process can also deal with cooking oil, beverages and liquid food wastes.
The AD process also enable businesses to work towards the ISO 14001 government environmental standard, by which businesses are certified and recognised as implementing and maintaining environmental management systems.
The environmentally-friendly scheme has been adopted by one of London’s leading international law firms, Slaughter and May. The legal firm employs over 1,100 staff at its City office and Cawleys’ food disposal contract covers all food waste generated on site, including the large staff restaurant, a number of dining rooms and staff pantries on each floor. Alan Shepherd, Slaughter and May’s Services Manager, has been impressed by Cawleys’ effective delivery of a green solution:
“In all areas of our work quality and best practice are important. We have an Environment Committee which drives change, and where we can make improvements which benefit the environment we will follow them through. The switch to food waste recycling is a straight forward and sensible step to take.”
Cawleys also works with other large commercial premises such as the Riverside Shopping Centre in Hemel Hempstead.
Joanna Hall. Riverside Centre Manager comments:
“As part of the Riverside Shopping Centre’s commitment to becoming a greener shopping centre we wanted to try and decrease the amount of waste we were sending to landfill. The service was far more comprehensive than other recycling schemes because it took food into consideration and, with a number of restaurants and cafes as tenants, food recycling was very important to us. We were shown that it is fairly easy to implement a green way of working without having to radically alter the way that you run your business.”
With innovative services such as that provided by Cawleys available, it is becoming clear that it is no longer acceptable for companies to ignore the impact their waste is having on the environment. In addition to considering environmental issues, companies must also consider the costs involved in terms of the rising landfill tax, if they are not recycling waste. April 2009 will see a further increase on landfill tax, highlighting the fact that AD could well be good investment in the future in both financial and environmental terms.

Waste note, want note
by Jason Mohr, Managing Director of anyjunk.co.uk
In recent years, Facilities and Property Managers have been hit with a wave of green legislations, aimed at making businesses more accountable when disposing of their waste and forcing them to improve their green credentials. The sheer number of new laws, combined with inadequate promotion by the legislators, have left many organisations confused and often unaware of their obligations, meaning even the most basic rules of compliance are being missed.
Here, Jason Mohr, Managing Director of anyjunk.co.uk highlights how organisations need to become more savvy when it comes to waste disposal and understand the importance and benefits of proper documentation. He also calls on Facilities and Property Managers to be more demanding of their waste contractors.
“Worryingly, despite the duty of care placed on businesses to ensure their waste is disposed of properly, on a daily basis across the UK, waste is regularly cleared from business premises by contractors who aren’t licensed waste carriers or who never supply a waste transfer note (WTN). What is more worrying is that a high number of organisations do not check or do not care where their waste ends up. In an age where CSR and environmental practices are more important than ever to clients, investors and staff, and a company’s reputation means so much, surely this is a risk that organisations cannot afford to take?
Check the basics
“At a basic level, every time waste is removed from a business, the contractor removing that waste should be a licensed waste carrier and should supply the business with a WTN. This documentation should include, amongst other things, the contractor’s waste carrier licence number (only registered waste carriers can remove waste), the type and amount of waste materials that have been removed, and the date and address where the transfer took place.
“Working on behalf of businesses on a daily basis, it still surprises me that many Facilities and Property Managers do not check whether their chosen contractor is a licensed waste carrier or ensure that a WTN is supplied when waste is removed. It should be remembered that the WTN is not about the transporting of waste away from the site, but rather it’s a transfer of ownership – from the disposing organisation to the waste carrier. This is important, as it passes responsibility and ownership of the waste to the waste carrier, meaning it’s the waste carrier that is now legally responsible for ensuring the waste is disposed of properly.
“If an organisation uses an unlicensed waste carrier to remove its waste and the material ends up being fly-tipped or disposed of at an unlicensed facility, the disposing organisation risks criminal prosecution and, if damages result, possibly even civil proceedings. With higher landfill charges and greater clampdown by authorities, this is something that is likely to become increasingly common. But, given the focus placed on environmental policies by customers, staff and investors, the risk of negative publicity if such an event occurred could be deemed a much higher penalty for the majority of organisations.
It’s not just the waste contractors
“In the experience of the anyjunk.co.uk team, who deal with Facilities and Property Managers on a daily basis, many organisations are unaware that licensed waste carrier status should also apply to a host of other contractors that may be called upon by businesses to undertake work at their premises. For example, if an electrician or refurbishment contractor undertakes work at an organisation’s premises and creates and removes their own waste (such as offcuts or builders’ rubble), or takes away the organisation’s waste (for example, existing pipes, old appliances or office furniture), then they must be licensed to carry waste and should provide the client with a WTN.
“This is the case regardless of where the waste is taken – whether it’s to a skip at the contractor’s own premises, to a third-party site, or directly to a waste transfer station. This is because the requirement to be licensed with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier and to provide clients with a WTN applies regardless of whether the contractor is a dedicated waste removal business or not.
You get what you pay for
“The introduction of certain environmental legislations mean that some waste that would have been okay to throw in a skip five years ago is suddenly classed as hazardous and can only be disposed of at specialist facilities.
“As a result, this type of waste tends to require specialist contractors to remove it. Identifying these special types of waste is generally a matter of common sense, as most organisations would not handle materials such as toxic chemical waste or asbestos. However, perhaps not so obvious are items like fluorescent light tubes, batteries, paint, refrigeration units, aircon units and CRTs (old style computer screens). These waste streams are all now classified as hazardous waste and should only ever be disposed of at facilities that are licensed to handle them.
“As a result, removal and disposal of such items should be more costly than getting rid of general rubbish. If an organisation’s waste contractor is not charging extra for this service, then alarm bells should start ringing – it’s time to change supplier.
Knowledge is money
“Finally, putting aside the fact that WTNs satisfy an organisation’s legal duty of care, a properly completed WTN also provides an organisation with some very useful information, such as the amount and type of waste being cleared, that could save it money.
“A properly completed WTN will detail the weight, volume and material mix of the waste that was cleared. If Facilities and Property Managers keep this information and review all their collections at the end of each year, they can determine the various waste streams coming out of the business. Armed with this information, Facilities and Property Managers can not only check whether the rates being charged by their contractors are competitive, but they can also look at ways to reduce costs through processes such as on-site segregation, breaking waste down to make it less bulky, and recycling.
“While there is no legal requirement for a WTN to outline where the waste is taken to, there is no reason why the question should not be asked. It takes little effort for a waste carrier to provide an organisation with a tipping receipt and other evidence of final disposal. This, of course, should reconcile to the WTN given for the initial waste collection.
“Although it could take time to get this information, and the tipping receipt might also relate to a load that includes waste from another client of the waste collector, reconciliation should still be possible. This information provides peace of mind about the waste audit trail and allows a much better understanding of landfill diversion, as well as offering third-party evidence of waste tonnages. This information can then be used as evidence for CSR reports. Finally, asking the question may also throw up opportunities for organisations to start dealing direct with those ultimate disposal sites, reducing their waste costs as a result. If waste collectors aren’t forthcoming in providing this information, or reconciliation isn’t possible, organisations should start to look to other carriers.
“So, while CSR policies are developed in the boardroom, it’s the Facilities and Property Managers who are on the front line of taking policy and turning it into reality. But, without the basics such as WTNs in place, the time an organisation may have invested in developing environmental policies will have been for nothing and both its reputation and bottom-line could suffer.”

Energy Management: Clearing the pathway to career progression
by Will Sadler, Professional Development Officer, Energy Institute
The Energy Institute (EI) has developed a new program of workshops, courses and qualifications for 2009 aimed at providing practical training to help energy managers meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by their role.
The path to success as an Energy Manager is not clearly defined, despite energy management playing an ever more vital role in shaping industry. A standardised career development program for the role does not exist, making professional development a sometimes complicated prospect. With this in mind it is even more vital for Energy Managers to keep a keen focus on developing their career and setting themselves personal goals. The EI has tackled these difficulties by developing a 2009 workshop program designed to teach practical skills that can be put to use immediately.
Energy Management in Practice
A key difficulty for energy managers is that there is no structured personal development path in place. To solve this it is necessary for any energy manager to make sure they take responsibility for developing practical skills that their employer, or future employer, can appreciate and use. The Energy Auditing in Practice workshop demonstrates the EI’s commitment to teaching practical skills, immediately transferable to the workplace. On this workshop, delegates get the opportunity to visit a site, learn the fundamentals of energy auditing and conduct a supervised audit of its energy use. This has proved a hugely popular course, and has been described by Charles Kee, Director of Green 2020, as ‘An informative, comprehensive overview of energy auditing offering great value for money’. It involves the preparation of a strategy for use within the candidate’s organisation.
The policy of practical teaching has been expanded to the new Calculating your Carbon Footprint and Implementation of Small Scale Renewables workshops. The latter is based at the groundbreaking Beacon Energy site, demonstrating renewable energy in action while providing an action plan for implementation within the candidates’ own organisation. This is designed to help keep up to date with an area of energy that is growing at over 10% per year globally, by providing up to date information and examples that can be applied within an organisation. Calculating Your Carbon Footprint gives candidates the skills and confidence to calculate their own data as well as learning practical steps to reducing carbon within their own company.
EI’s workshops cover the full range of varied roles that Energy Manager’s are expected to fulfil. Traditionally energy management has been equipment based and the Metering, Monitering and Targetting workshop has been created to give a thorough and working knowledge of all necessary equipment. With the modern developments in the industry, however, the project manager role has now developed into one of vital importance. With this in mind, it is vital for energy managers to develop their skills in this area, or risk being left behind. The EI’s new two day Planning and Financing Energy Projects workshop has been designed to give a fundamental and practical overview of energy project work, allowing the candidates to demonstrate to employers that they are capable and experienced enough to lead energy projects.
New legislation
The focus on energy conservation has led to a spurt of new government legislation and regulations supporting energy efficiency, including both fiscal incentives and grants. The EI’s Introduction to energy regulations and standards workshop has been designed to position delegates favourably within this environment, allowing them to avoid the pitfalls and take advantage of the incentives. An up to date knowledge of legislation, as well as grasp of current events within energy management, are essential for any manager wanting to progress their career.
There are further opportunities emerging from the increase in regulations. The Energy Performance Building Directive has now made it a legal requirement for the energy certification of buildings in the domestic, commercial and some industrial sectors. This has led to a need for qualified energy assessors across the country and the EI has developed a half day Becoming an energy assessor workshop to help map out the pathway towards accreditation.
Qualifications
The European Energy Manager Qualification (EUREM) is a set of 12 workshops designed to provide candidates with a fundamental understanding of energy management and is currently being updated for 2009. It is running in the UK, Austria Germany and Portugal and plans are to increase this to 13 countries around Europe. Its modules use real cases as examples of best-practice, enabling candidates to understand the content in terms of practical solutions, rather than simply academic work. Modules construct a framework for energy management, with all key management issues covered.
The EI’s Training in Energy Management through Open Learning (TEMOL) course has been designed specifically to help overcome the lack of structure for energy managers and to offer a qualification that can be attained while you work. It also offers a basis for qualification as energy manager anywhere in the world. Upgraded in 2007, it provides a flexible and practical package of assessment and project, recognised as being the most complete energy management qualification available. It includes 250 hours of training, as well as a 100 hour project, based around a real life energy management problem, which not only adds value to any organisation putting a candidate on the course, but offers a practical element to training which allows any candidate to demonstrate their skills in a real life environment.
Professional Recognition
Energy Managers who excel within their field are recognised and highlighted by the EI through professional membership grades and awards. The Energy Manager of the Year Award, presented to Ken Heaton for 2007, demonstrates the EI’s commitment to giving recognition to individuals who are shining examples within their role. Ken implemented an energy strategy across the National Offender Management Service which resulted in financial savings of £1.3m and secured 83% renewable energy. He is an example of the benefits of Professional Development, having working his way to becoming one of the leading energy managers in the UK with MITIE Managed Services.
One of the EI’s strategic aims is to “equip energy professionals with tools to enable their positive contribution to society”. Within Professional Development, this means providing energy managers with the skills to successfully take advantage of the vibrancy and dynamism within their sector. Energy Management is increasingly a role of opportunity, and having the experience, skills and qualifications necessary will help grasp the possibilities that present themselves.
Energy Institute
t: +44 (0)20 7467 7100
www.energyinst.org