Delegates from as far away as Hong Kong and Toronto joined the UK contingent of 100 Hours participants for a free Webinar to hear from industry experts on low carbon lighting, climate change and decentralized energy.
Held as part of the 100 Hours of Carbon Clean up Campaign, the Webinar enabled participants to log on and attend the seminars from the comfort of their own desk, joining fellow delegates from the UK and beyond.
CIBSE President Elect Mike Simpson presented the first seminar ‘Let there be low carbon lights’ all the way from Hong Kong, looking at the pros and cons of popular lighting systems and lighting controls currently available for use in buildings, as well as simple strategies to maximise occupancy comfort and minimise lighting energy use without eating up your facilities budget.
Lighting accounts for approximately 23% of energy use in all buildings and Simpson explained that new innovative lighting solutions could realistically save up to 40% energy on all today’s installed lighting.
Kay Johnstone from the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) focussed on what climate change means for businesses - the opportunities and threats posed by climate change and the information needed to plan for adaptation; preparing for negative impacts, and taking advantage of any positive ones.
The final session on Decentralised Energy was attended by those who wanted to find out more how it works in practice and how it could benefit some organisations. Paul Lewis, Chief Executive, Self Energy UK explained how volatile gas and electricity costs and tightening budgets along with a desire to reduce CO2 emissions are encouraging organisations to explore alternatives to the traditional energy sources.
The 100 Hours of Carbon Clean up Campaign is the third annual carbon reduction initiative run by The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). Organisations were challenged to sign up and pledge 100 hours of staff time to commit to carbon saving activities between August and the end of November. In return they received access to an extensive list of carbon saving activities, free events and seminars; toolkits designed by sustainability engineers to assist in the preparation of EPCs and DECs, and eco-freebies.