Market mechanisms
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions from larger organisations include:
Information, advice and support
To help organisations take action to reduce their emissions, in particular through Business Link and the Carbon Trust who provide a range of public funded services (such as free web support, helpline and events).
Provision of financial support
To help small and medium enterprises to invest in energy saving projects through the Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA) scheme. The scheme applies to energy saving technologies as defined by Energy Technologies List (ETL).
Other initiatives
- Voluntary Business Energy Efficiency Agreements (BEEAs) with the major energy suppliers to promote energy efficiency and energy services to SMEs.
- The Carbon Budgets framework and the carbon aspects of the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) framework.
Guidance for UK businesses and organisations
On how to measure and report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was published by Defra / DECC in October 2009. The voluntary guidance explains how businesses and organisations can measure and report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as set targets to reduce them. The guidance is aimed at all sizes of business as well as public and third sector organisations. The Government also published a report, 'The contribution that reporting of greenhouse gas emissions makes to the UK meeting its climate change objectives: a review of the current evidence', on 30 November 2010, as required under the Climate Change Act 2008 (the report appears on the Defra: Measuring and reporting environmental impacts webpage under the heading 'Benefits of reporting').
Defra launched the consultation Measuring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by UK companies on 11 May 2011 seeking views on whether or not regulations should be introduced to make it mandatory for some UK companies to report on their GHG emissions within the directors’ report to meet the UK’s climate change objectives. The consultation runs for a period of 8 weeks.
The Government is consulting on proposals to reform the electricity market to ensure that we can decarbonise our electricity supply, in turn helping us to meet climate change targets. The Consultation on Electricity Market Reform (EMR) considers a number of supply side proposals, and a parallel HMT/HMRC consultation is considering a carbon price floor. Following the completion of the EMR project, the Government will consider whether to make any changes to the recommendations relating to the way in which organisations should measure and report their GHG emissions from the generation and consumption of electricity.