Engage Your Supply Chain

Your specialist service providers, those maintaining your BMS, lighting controls and all of the major energy using systems are specialists in their field and best placed to advise your on how to achieve efficient operation of the associated assets. Getting them aligned with your objectives is key.

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What is required?

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You need a pipeline of energy saving initiatives, you employ experts in their field with the knowledge and know how that you need. An obvious step in this chain is to write directly to your regular suppliers, sharing your energy reduction objectives, asking them to consider how they can contribute to achieving these goals. It is recommended that when you write you are very specific regarding your objectives and any criteria or limitations you may have, if you are primarily interested in low cost / low cost initiatives let them know, if you have a return on investment cap, above which a project is unlikely to be approved, let them know. The clearer you are with your vendors the better they will be able to align with your objectives and offer you solutions that are acceptable to you.

 

Alongside your specific targets making clear that you energy efficiency objectives are not a short term fix but a new way of working and be clear that you need them all to be considering this..

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The most effective communication to your suppliers is a message that is customized specifically to them and the service they provide to you and its resultant wastes rather than a generalized email to all. The email needs to serve as a call to action for them to respond to. Be specific in your message that you would like feedback from the supplier as to how they will support your objectives and when you can expect suggestions.

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What benefits can I expect from action?

 

The expected benefits of this communication are as follows:

Suppliers will take energy reduction seriously when  their customers tell them this is important to them, this communication starts that conversation. Their willingness to invest time and effort into developing proposals  will be enabled by having a clear understanding of your requirements.

Aside from setting out your clear objectives, your communication enables you to mobilize the innovation of your suppliers and get them thinking about how they can do things differently to support your objectives.

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Follow up actions

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For suppliers who maintain assets which are significant energy consumers this communication alone is inadequate, it is highly recommended that energy reduction becomes a regular topic in your review meetings with them.