Businesses can easily contribute to reducing carbon dioxide levels by upgrading their existing heating systems, says North East-based Commercial Maintenance Services (CMS) UK Ltd.
Nic Smith, who co-founded the family-run company, was speaking following the release of estimates which show global levels of the chemical compound in the atmosphere are declining - but emissions are still due to rise by 0.6% this year.
However, Gateshead-based CMS, which provides a range of business-critical systems and services, is experiencing a rise in the number of commercial clients seeking to achieve greater efficiencies to their heating and energy consumption.
The company, which operates 20 engineering hubs nationwide, is increasingly being called upon to improve the efficiency of gas boilers as well as installing new technologies, including ‘smart’ boilers and creating a fully integrated approach to building management services.
Nic Smith, who together with his brother Neil co-founded the company in 2000, said: “CMS is seeing a real desire among businesses throughout the UK, including multi-site operators, to achieve greater efficiencies from their current gas heating systems. This is simple to achieve and makes a real contribution to reducing emissions.
“Whilst such measures result in a reduction in costs, there is a much greater willingness among business to play a meaningful part in reducing the effects of climate change.”
A study by Global Carbon Project, a group of international scientists who track emissions, estimates that globally 40.57 billion tons of carbon dioxide will be emitted in 2019 – a rise of 0.6% from last year.
Nic added: “Whilst any increase is concerning, this estimate does represent a decrease in the previous growth of global carbon dioxide emissions of 2.1% and 1.5%, so as a planet we are going in the right direction.
“It is important to note that these figures are influenced by huge increases in emissions by China, through its increased use of coal, and India, masking the progressive efforts being made in the UK and Europe to reduce greenhouse gasses.
“CMS has grown its business by 20% in the past year and part of this success is due to the ongoing demand by businesses across a range of sectors, from hospitality and healthcare to retail, to make a positive impact on emissions.”
As well as improving the efficiency of current systems, CMS is also introducing new eco-efficient technologies, including the ‘internet of things’, which allows smart boilers to be connected to the internet – allowing remote monitoring and control, ensuring they can be easily adjusted to run at optimum efficiency.
“There is definitely a willingness to invest in more efficient and eco-friendly systems and businesses across the UK are constantly re-evaluating their operations to see how they can make a positive impact.”