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Sectors

Energy & Carbon

"Rolton Group was an asset throughout the project, providing the expert advice around carbon, sustainability and clean technology that was necessary to ensure that we met the rigorous criteria for a PPS7 development"
Gary Neville, Former Football player


In response to questions raised by many clients regarding the commercial opportunities created by the UK’s ageing and inadequate energy infrastructure, I have written a jargon-free White Paper entitled ‘Energy: The Challenge, the Commercial Opportunity’.


The UK's Low Carbon Transition Plan sets out how the UK aims to cut CO2 emissions by more than a third from 1990 levels by 2020.

The UK's Low Carbon Transition Plan sets out how the UK aims to cut CO2 emissions by more than a third from 1990 levels by 2020. The four main branches of the programme are: make energy greener, reduce emissions by improving the sustainability of the built environment through home and community-wide schemes, reduce carbon emissions on public and private transport, and manage agriculture, land use, and waste more sustainably.

All of these activities have an impact on the way that commerce and industry work, and on the price of doing business. The response of business to these demands has fallen broadly into three categories, says Rolton Group's Managing Director Allan Rose: "To some it's about minimising energy costs at the coalface. For others it's truly about the energy and environmental impact of what they are doing. And for a very few it's about true sustainability and the impact on the environment - the real cost of transporting material around the world, or using man-made versus natural alternatives."

It’s possible that many businesses have yet to grasp the enormity of the energy situation and how it applies to them; to provide some context, since 1990 the price of electricity has doubled and the price of gas has gone up by 135 per cent. Over the same period the price of oil has varied from between $40 and $140 a barrel.

No business could expect to operate if the price of labour rose at such a scale as gas and electricity have done, nor could it hope to function properly if the price of labour varied as widely as the price of oil does. As the global demand for energy increases, prices rise accordingly; an oil tanker can re-route to make a delivery to a higher bidder on the other side of the world. The continuous availability of the energy business's need to operate can not be taken for granted on a permanent basis under the current model. Economists predict that the next major international conflict will be about natural resources like oil, gas, or water.

The only option for businesses and organisations looking for a long-term solution is to understand its energy cost, to measure its performance against best practice, and to develop an enduring strategy.

Rolton Group has carried out energy audits for the likes of The Crown Estate, the Ministry of Defence, the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. Business and organisations need to understand where they are spending on energy and how efficiently they are using it, which is where we come in. We also help clients to understand how they can minimise that energy use and reduce their carbon impact in the process.

In the new energy economy, things are not always what they seem. We have helped clients to move from a model where they paid to have their rubbish removed to one where they use it to generate power, create income and protect their own energy expenditure in the future. By the same token, a factory roof can be an ideal location to house solar PV panels that generate power, reduce expenditure and provide a second income stream with sales back into the grid.

We understand that a period of unprecedented change requires analysis, understanding, and lateral thinking to turn a potential threat into a competitive advantage.