Building and Energy Management System (BEMS)

DEFINITION: A computer-based system that controls and monitors a building's mechanical and electrical equipment such as heating, ventilation, lighting, and power systems. In offices and factories for example, a BMS can automate and take control of these operations in the most efficient way possible, saving energy.

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edie Explains: Building energy management systems (BEMS)

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National Grid has also pledged to spur the reduction of emissions that are outside of its direct control

National Grid commits to net-zero emissions target for 2050

The National Grid has announced a commitment to reduce its direct greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, the same timeframe as the UK Government's legislative target.
The new policy will cut €2bn (£1.7bn) of yearly investments to fossil fuel projects

European Investment Bank to end financial support for fossil fuels by 2021

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has unveiled a new energy lending policy that will stop all financing for fossil fuel projects at the end of 2021 and unlock €1trn in sustainable development over the next decade.
Eurostar has pledged to plant a tree for every train service that it operates across its routes

From plastics to rewilding: How Eurostar is gaining a competitive edge in the era of eco-travel

EXCLUSIVE: With flight shaming placing the profitability of the aviation sector at risk, international high-speed rail service Eurostar believes a legacy of action on carbon, plastics and now rewilding will help build customer trust.
The IEA cited the growth of coal in nations such as China as a key concern. Image: Kleineolive/ CC-BY-3.0 

Strengthen climate policies now or risk catastrophe, warns energy agency

The world's existing climate policies will not be enough to end the upward march of record energy emissions rising beyond 2040 without a "grand coalition" of governments and investors, according to the global energy watchdog.
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Energy managers wanted to take quarterly Business Barometer survey

edie is calling on all UK-based energy managers and practitioners to take the third Business Barometer survey and identify key energy trends and opportunities from 2019 into 2020.
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Available to watch on demand: edie's net-zero business webinar

edie's most recent webinar outlined how businesses can engage staff, consumers, stakeholders and suppliers to inspire a global movement towards net-zero emissions, featuring experts from the UK Green Building Council, ITV and International Airlines Group (IAG).
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Net-Zero November: Read up on edie's insight guides and webinars on net-zero

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Net-Zero November: edie kicks off month of themed content and events with raft of new business pledges

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Energy minister to consider departmental carbon budgets

The energy and clean growth minister has told MPs he will look into the idea that government departments should be setting their own carbon budgets.
The newly created corporate will employ more than 30,000 people and have manufacturing operations in 10 nations. Image: Liberty House

Liberty House pledges carbon-neutral steel operations by 2030

Global metals and engineering group Liberty House has announced plans to roll all of its steel plants into a single company, largely in order to target carbon-neutral operations by 2030.
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Meet edie's 30 Under 30 Class of 2019: Ashley O'Neill, Hilton

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Net-Zero November: edie to launch themed month of content and events

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Cargill, Maersk Tankers and Mitsui & Co team up on 'over-the-shelf' emissions technology for shipping

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Pictured: Glasgow City Council's chambers. The local authority recently committed to net-zero by 2030 as part of its bid to host COP26. 

Glasgow signs up primary school as its first flexible energy asset

As part of its bid to become a carbon-neutral city by 2030, Glasgow City Council is set to use one of its primary schools as a flexible energy asset on the demand side response (DSR) market.
EDF Energy analysed the energy consumption at different sites, including schools, hospitals, hotels, offices and police stations

'Simple' energy efficiency measures could deliver £45m benefit for UK businesses

New data from EDF Energy has revealed that measures such as installing energy efficient lighting and better heating management could create more than £45m in energy cost savings across 4,150 analysed sites.
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Flexible energy roundtable: Bridging the net-zero carbon policy gaps

Academic research often cites flexible energy technologies such as battery storage and electric vehicles (EVs) as key components of the low-carbon economies of the future. But with policies supporting the UK Government's 2050 net-zero goal still in their infancy, what must now be done to support their widespread adoption?
Total will be able to reduce the overall cost of the integration process. Image: Total

Total signs cleantech deal to produce hydrogen at refineries

French energy giant Total has signed a cooperation agreement with the Sunfire cleantech company to integrate capture waste heat and CO2 at a German refinery to create synthetic methanol and hydrogen to be used to reduce energy and transport emissions.
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‘A significant improvement’: Government unveils Future Homes vision

Triple glazing, buildings fabrics that limit heat loss, low-carbon heating systems and onsite generation assets will likely be mandatory requirements for new homes, after the Government unveiled its vision for a Future Homes Standard (FHS).
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Now on demand: edie's masterclass on Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reporting for business

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Nottingham Trent University extends JUMP behaviour change initiative to 30,000 students

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has expanded the JUMP behaviour scheme initiative for staff to its 30,000 students for the upcoming academic year, after more than 23,000 sustainable actions were recorded by staff during a pilot last year.
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EU Council maintains nuclear as eligible for 'green' finance

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(Image: Wikipedia/Foreign and Commonwealth Office)

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23 businesses, 23 cities and six states around the world have now signed the WGBC commitment. Image: JLL

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Asda will use fridges at 300+ stores and 18 distribution centres for the partnership

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Ofgem and BEIS call on networks to realise £40bn flexible energy opportunity

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Global economic growth 'now directly linked to greater energy efficiency', report finds

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Home improvement retailer Kingfisher helped customers save an estimated 43TWh of energy - more than the annual consumption of Hong Kong - through energy efficient products such as LEDs and insulation.
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Best Buy to slash customer emissions by 20% as part of science-based targets

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Waitrose & Partners will introduce an "invisible" door" to combat the amount of avoidable energy that is lost at entrance doors to retail stores, with research suggesting that a widescale rollout could help British retailers save £1.5bn annually on energy bills.
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Despite "notable" global progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, Clean Energy for All, in recent years, policies, investment and physical infrastructure are still not sufficient to deliver on its 2030 targets.
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Coalition of cities target net-zero carbon buildings by 2050

A coalition of eight European cities, including Dublin and Leeds, have pledged to completely decarbonise their existing building stocks by 2050.
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There is no longer any 'low hanging fruit' and innovation is going to be required to help with sustainability challenges in the future, according to Marks & Spencer's research and development manager Oliver Knowles.
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Bosch targets carbon neutrality by 2020

Engineering and electronics giant Bosch has committed to achieve carbon neutrality across its direct global operations by 2020 - a move it claims will mitigate the emission of 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 within the next 12 months.
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Tetra Pak utilises an array of onsite renewables solutions to lower carbon impacts

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JLL 'on track' for 100% renewables target by 2020

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Renewable energy could meet 86% of global power demand by 2050, IRENA concludes

If policymakers, businesses and investors across the world collaborate to scale-up renewable energy and to electrify sectors such as transport and heavy industry, 86% of the global power demand could be met with clean energy by 2050, new research from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has found.
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SC Johnson to power US headquarters with geothermal energy

US-based consumer goods giant SC Johnson has revealed plans to use geothermal energy for the heating and cooling of its headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin.
400 UK landmarks will take part in tonight's spectacle, including Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Image: Vlad Balin/WWF-UK

One hour, no power: Millions of kWh of energy to be saved as landmarks switch off for Earth Hour

The UK alone could avoid the use of more than nine million kWh of energy during this year's Earth Hour, as landmarks across the globe turn off their lights in a bid to highlight the scale of global environmental challenges.
The CCC’s chairman Lord Deben (L) and team leader for building and industry Jenny Hill (R)

CCC calls for stamp duty and winter fuel payment reform to help decarbonise homes

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Oil giant Eni targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2030

Italian oil and gas group Eni has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions for its operations by 2030, despite announcing plans to increase oil and gas production by 3.5% annually up to 2022.
Clean electricity can be cost-effectively integrated to all key sectors of the economy such as mobility, buildings and industry, the report states

Study charts six scenarios for fossil-free energy by 2050

Cutting energy use in buildings, ramping up renewable electricity and developing large-scale storage with hydrogen are clear options in bringing energy emissions down to zero by 2050, according to a new study.
The Clean Air Zone in Birmingham has been described as 'much needed' by the council

Birmingham Clean Air Zone given green light by Government

Plans for a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in Birmingham have received Government approval following the submission of its full business case last month.
David Adams of Melius Homes (left) and David Thomas of Barratt Developments (right) giving evidence at the BEIS evidence session on energy efficiency

MPs question housebuilders on energy performance of new homes

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Bristol City Council smashes carbon target two years early

Bristol City Council will soon set new climate-related mitigation goals, after surpassing a target to reduce carbon emissions by two-thirds two years ahead of schedule.
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UK gas must be 'completely' decarbonised by 2050, says think-tank

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The JUMP scheme enables NTU to encourage activities that align with Nottingham City Council’s target of becoming a net-zero-carbon city by 2028

Nottingham Trent University signs up to JUMP employee engagement initiative

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has become the 11th University to sign up to the JUMP employee engagement initiative, as it attempts to encourage its 4,000 staff members to develop habits that boost sustainability and wellbeing.
According to IVECO, the vehicles can achieve carbon emissions reductions of up to 80%.

AB InBev trials LNG-fuelled deliveries for UK brewery

The world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), is set to trial deliveries in the UK using liquefied natural gas (LNG) to reduce harmful emissions.
In 1990, coal accounted for 67% of the UK's energy mix. In 2017, that figure stood at 5%

Carbon Brief: UK's emissions could have doubled since 1990 without renewable energy

The UK's total carbon footprint has decreased by 38% since 1990 - but could have doubled if the renewable energy revolution had failed to gain traction, new analysis from Carbon Brief has concluded.
More than 13% of the UK's working population now work remotely either full or part-time, according to the Office for National Statistics

Sustainable snow days: How remote working can reduce environmental impacts for business

As the first snow of 2019 starts to fall across large parts of the UK, many of us will be working from home more than usual. With this in mind, edie outlines how remote working is can help businesses reduce their carbon, energy and waste footprints.
edie rounds up the key facts from the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association's recent behaviour change survey

In numbers: How the UK public is shunning sustainable actions in favour of convenience

While most Brits say they are keen to change their behaviour to become more sustainable, most don't follow through on their commitments, a new survey of 2,000 people has found. Here, edie rounds up the key findings of the poll.