Climate Tookit 4 Business

Energy bills / usage information

The calculator asks how much electricity and gas your businesses uses every year on average, either in kWh or €. This information will be available on your bills. You can also provide information on other fuels such as heating oil, coal, fuel oil or LPG, if you use them, by inputting the volume used, or the cost, from your bills. Your supplier will be able to help you identify these figures.

Business travel information

The calculator asks for vehicle fuels (petrol or diesel) volumes or cost as well as flights taken for business purposes in a year. If it is not readily available in your accounts then you may need to estimate.

Bin weights

The calculator asks for the annual weight of your waste in non-recycled refuse (black bin), recycled refuse (green bin) and organic waste (brown bin). These are annual figures so as to remove seasonal variations. These weights are available from your waste provider, either as part of your billing information or separately.

Water bills / usage

The calculator asks for your annual water usage volume. This is measured in metres-cubed (m³) and will be available to you on your non-domestic water bill issued by Irish Water, your Local Authority or a private water scheme.

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Step 1

Calculate

The Toolkit provides you with an estimated carbon footprint and a set of tailored actions to take based on the information you provide. This will remain completely confidential and is only for your own use. Input the requested metrics into the calculator tool as accurately as possible. The more accurate the information input, the better the Toolkit can respond with customised information and guidance.

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Step 2

Report

When you input your information to the calculator you will receive an estimation of your ‘on-site’ carbon footprint and a breakdown of the sources of your carbon emissions. You can return to this report and revise the input information in the future to track the ongoing impact of your actions.

You will also receive a tailored action plan with detailed measures you can start taking to address your environmental impact. This action plan will help make your business resilient in the transition to a low carbon economy.

Step 3

Take action

Your tailored action plan will contain a range of impactful steps to reduce your environmental impact. They range from small operational changes to significant strategic considerations. You can download and share your action plan. You can mark actions as ‘completed’, ‘in progress’ or ‘not applicable’ to your specific circumstances. To help you implement your plan it is recommended that you appoint ‘owners’ for the various actions and set ambitious but realistic deadlines to implement them. The action plan will also signpost a range of agency supports and programmes that are available to help you implement your plan.
The recommended actions are labelled with one or a number of the following:

Energy

These actions relate to reducing the environmental impact of the energy your business uses.

Water

These actions relate to reducing the environmental impact of the water your business uses.

Travel

These actions relate to reducing the environmental impact of the travel and freight used by your business.

Materials

These actions relate to reducing the environmental impact of the raw materials and goods your business uses, and their supply chain impacts.

Staff engagement

These actions empower and enable all members of staff to contribute to your business’ sustainability.

Cost Saving

These actions have the potential to save your business money by introducing efficiencies into your operations.

High Impact

These actions are especially effective in reducing the environmental impact of your business, and should therefore be a particular focus.

Supports

There may be financial resources available through state agencies to assist you in implementing these actions.

Step 4

Track Implementation

The Toolkit allows you to create an account and log back in. This will allow you to track and report on the implementation of your actions, share progress with staff, management and stakeholders and update metrics to estimate your carbon saved.

Some actions will require further analysis and research, and the Toolkit can direct you to supports for this.

This Toolkit helps get you started. As you learn more about your impact, you will begin to identify innovations or opportunities that will equip your business for a zero-carbon future.