The Energy Event 2009

Published:  24 September, 2009

The Energy Event 2009

 Taking place annually, The Energy Event, sponsored by O2 in partnership with ASL Holdings, which runs on the 9th and 10th September at The National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull, addresses the most current issues through its seminar programme as well as offering the chance to meet experts in energy procurement, management and efficiency via its exhibition. PWE takes a look at what this year's event will offer.

 The Energy Event, sponsored by O2 in partnership with ASL Holdings, takes place at The National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham on 9th and 10th of September 2009.

While the exhibition area of The Energy Event plays host to the biggest names in energy generation, energy procurement and all manner of energy management technology and service providers it is the conference and seminar programme that really catches the eye. The conference programme is broken into two distinct streams: Firstly, the stream delivered by the trade organisations ESTA (Energy Services and Technology Association), MEUC (Major Energy Users Council), Envirowise and CIBSE (Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers) looks at the latest legislation as well as practical information on areas of ongoing concern such as lighting; drives and controls and compressed air; Secondly the Energy Insight conference brings together leading experts and commentators in the fields of economics, climate change, energy policy and security, the nuclear industry, demand management and carbon reduction.

The latest legislative changes feature prominently on ESTA"s seminar agenda including the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), a 'cap and trade’ scheme that requires participants to purchase and then redeem certificates against their energy use. The CRC scheme, beginning April 2010, will apply to larger energy end users such as supermarkets, hotel chains and other multi-site businesses. Although revenue neutral to the Exchequer, the CRC will have cash flow implications and it has been estimated that an energy saving of 5% will be needed to cover the average cost of administration within an organisation. ESTA will focus on the CRC on Weds 9th September when it will deliver two seminars on the subject. The first will discuss the basic elements of the CRC directive highlighting the stiff penalties which companies can face for non-conformance and the second will advise on strategies for dealing with the CRC directive.

As well as focusing on new legislation ESTA will also be covering The fundamentals of energy management on both days of the event as, with new people coming into the industry or with people being given new responsibilities involving energy there is always a need to cover the basics. Here areas of energy management such as site energy policy; completing a site energy assessment and implementing energy cost reduction programmes will be covered.

Also of interest will be the seminar hosted by Envirowise and the Water Technology List which will focus on how businesses can reduce water bills by up to 50% by adopting a systematic approach to water management. The seminar will discuss the legislative and commercial drivers that affect how businesses manage their water use. It will help delegates identify ways to minimise water use by understanding where waste occurs in their businesses and how to reduce it. Those attending the seminar will also be given advice on WTL, the water-efficient technologies that are available on the List and the benefits that can be achieved through the ECA scheme, as well as ongoing savings on water bills.

The Energy Services Directive is also expected to feature heavily on The Energy Event conference programme this year. The Directive, which impacts on both providers and users of energy (full name: EC Directive on Energy End Use Efficiency and Energy Services) covers all forms of energy, including electricity, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and other fuels such as coal, heating oil, biomass and transport fuels (except aviation and bunker fuels).

The Directive applies to all energy users (except those involved with the EU carbon emissions trading scheme) and providers of energy efficiency measures, energy distributors, distribution system operators and retail energy sales companies. The main requirements of the Directive are: it has an energy savings target of 9% by 2017; that the public sector is to fulfill a lead role; that EU Member States are required to place obligations on energy suppliers and distributors to promote energy efficiency; and that there is to be requirements on metering and billing to allow consumers to make more informed decisions about their energy use.

As well as the seminar programme, the exhibition element of The Energy Event is very useful. A great example of this is UK manufacturing company Brown and Holmes (Tamworth), which is set to save £18,000 per year following the installation of a range of technologies that were sourced at The Energy Event in 2008. The technologies in question were recommended as part of an energy conservation proposal supplied by Carbon Control, a solution provider in the energy conservation field, and covers heating, lighting, compressed air and voltage optimisation.

Among the 120 exhibitors, core disciplines such as heating, compressed air, motors, drives, ventilating, air conditioning and lighting are well represented as other technologies including voltage optimisation, thermography, water softeners etc. Areas such as energy monitoring and targeting are well represented as are energy procurement, consultancy and purchasing.

An example of the innovation that the Energy Event offers can also be seen in a five year agreement that has been reached between Carbon Clear, the carbon management company and the event organisers. Under the terms of the agreement, Carbon Clear will be the official carbon management and offset partner for the annual exhibition and conference, as well as being available during the course of the event to offer advice on differing applications. Carbon Clear will measure and offset the carbon footprint of The Energy Event.  This involves gathering information about the gas and electricity consumption, visitor travel, how the waste is handled etc. Carbon Clear will then offset the footprint using high quality carbon offsets.

 The Energy Event 2009 is free to enter, with free parking. Visitors are advised to register in advance for seminar places and entry tickets. Other sponsors for 2009 include: EDF Energy, Encore International and The Utilities Exchange.

To register, or for more information on exhibitors and the seminar programme visit: www.theenergyevent.com