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Ce ee culue
EnErgy saving faCt shEEt
Introduction
Nobody knows your business energy using activities and
processes better than your employees. Outlined in this fact
sheet are some proven and robust approaches for developing
a structured program to build a culture that harnesses this
in-house knowledge to reduce your energy use. Facility,
operational and general managers and environmentalchampions
should nd this fact sheet valuable.
Benets of developing an energysaving culture
Culture determines how people think and behave in any
workplace, therefore establishing an energy saving culture is
a
necessary accompaniment to other waste saving initiatives
such
as an energy saving plan or behaviour change campaign.
By establishing an energy saving culture, you are creating
an
environment for bright ideas, increased efciency and reduced
operating costs. An open and inclusive culture will also
contributeto staff morale as well as reduce your environmental
impact.
Things to consider
Communication is a critical element of motivating staff to
contribute to an energy saving culture. Communicate your
energy saving vision, actions to be undertaken, roles, and
above all else, the results that are achieved through a focus
on
reducing energy use.
Building an energy saving culture will take time and effort.
Be realistic about the time required to change attitudes and
behaviours, and pursue gradual rather than radical change.
The culture change process
Building an energy saving culture will be challenging as
culture
is formed over time and is often hard to dene and
understand.
However, a strong energy saving culture is the ingredient
that
your business needs to achieve your energy saving goals.
This systematic process for developing a waste minimisation
culture is suggested. Step-by-step tasks to achieve culture
change based on this process are presented on page 2.
Fig 1 Culture change process
This culture change process is based on the normative
systems
culture change process and EPA Victorias cleaner production
program.
Phase 2 Introductionn Inform and engage employees
n Address barriers or difculties
Phase 1 Understandingn Get management commitment
n Examine the existing culture
n Establish a vision for saving energy
n Identify and address any barriers
Phase 3 Integrationn Integrate into all elements of the business
such as
procurement policies and staff performance plans
Phase 4 Evaluationn Measure and publicise results
n Celebrate and reward successes
n Extend or modify activities
Guide to creating an energysaving culture
A step-by-step approach for creating an energy saving
culture
is provided in the table over the page. However, your
business
and your employees are unique, so you will need to consider
whether these steps are suitable for your workplace and what
other steps you may need to take to be successful in
creating
cultural change.
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Phase Tasks/acTions
1
Understand your current culture by conducting observations of
meetings, work areas and social areas. Look for
behaviours that need to be changed, such as resistance to new
ideas, or behaviours that need to be encouraged, suchas individuals
taking responsibility for solving problems.
Establish a vision statement for energy saving at your business,
including what you want to achieve and why. Get senior
management to sign the vision statement as a demonstration of
their commitment. A vision statement might read To
reduce our costs and environmental impact by using as little
energy as possible to operate our business effectively.
Appoint a champion - an employee who is passionate and respected
- to lead the culture change process. The role of
the champion is a challenging one and should be recognised and
rewarded.
2
Form a project team to coordinate and implement energy saving
actions, consisting of people from all key business
areas such as production, nance, maintenance and OH&S.
Develop a detailed action plan that includes actions, targets,
responsibility and timeframes. Actions could include the
phases 3 and 4 tasks listed in this table.
Communicate the vision statement and action plan to all staff in
a positive way, for example, at morning tea. Inform
all staff that everyone has a role to play in reducing energy
use.
3
Assign roles and accountabilities to appropriate staff. For
example, the cleaners role may be to turn off all lights at the
end of each day. The champions role may be to review
contributions to the suggestion box on a weekly basis.
Encourage ideas by providing a suggestion box or dedicating time
at staff meetings to discussing changes or
improvements that will reduce energy use.
Integrate energy saving actions and accountabilities into staff
roles and KPIs.
Integrate energy saving actions and accountabilities at an
organisational level through actions such as reporting on
progress and targets in company reports.
Proactively address difculties or conicts that arise. For
example, the champion or a manager may need to provide
additional support to an individual or team which is resistant
to change.
Motivate staff to put energy saving actions into place by
demonstrating the value of the actions and the impact that
they can have. The nancial savings from energy saving actions
could be used to reward staff for achieving results.
4
Monitor and report on the implementation on action and
achievements against goals and targets.
Conduct observations of practices to see whats working and whats
not.
Modify those actions that are not working and renew and extend
those actions that are working.
Reward desired attitudes and behaviours with awards or other
forms of recognition and publicise at staff meetings
or in newsletters.
Further information
If you would like further information, or to talk to someone who
can help get you started, please contact
Ai Groups Energy and Sustainable Business Helpdesk on 1300 733
752 or at [email protected]
or visit the Ai Group website at www.aigroup.com.au .
AIG8604
