LIVING ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

15, October 2007

Pioneering CO2 stance receives deserved acclaim

A bold and ambitious programme designed to help the country reduce carbon emissions by over three million tonnes per year has received nationwide acclaim at the prestigious RAC Cooling Industry Awards 2007.

Called the ‘Green Gateway Initiative™,’ the 10-point strategic plan has been developed by environmental technology manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric to help reduce emissions by minimising energy consumption within the built environment. The company is using the plan to call for a fundamental rethink in the way people heat and cool both residential and commercial properties.

The initiative won the ‘Environmental Pioneer – Air Conditioning’ category at the gala awards evening held in central London on 3rd October, with the judges calling the programme “a far-sighted, detailed and practical programme that will make a major impact on the industry’s performance and future success as the environmental policy climate hardens.”

The plan includes technological developments and new thinking combined with simple behavioural changes such as better maintenance regimes or not using the thermostat as an on/off button. All of the initiatives are focused on creating a significant impact on CO2 reduction in the UK’s buildings by reducing energy consumption and the energy bills of both consumers and businesses.

The programme also highlights the fact that significant savings can be made in homes if advanced heat pump technology is used to provide space heating and hot water instead of traditional gas-fired boilers.

The latest heat pump boilers harvest free energy from the surrounding air and are three times more efficient than gas boilers at heating buildings whilst emitting up to 40% less CO2.

“Minimising the energy use of our buildings is going to be key to combating CO2 emissions,” explained Donald Daw, Divisional Commercial Director for Mitsubishi Electric, who collected the Award on the night. “We can’t just switch everything off and do without heating or cooling but we can all make sure that the equipment we use is the most energy efficient possible and is used as little as possible.”

Mitsubishi Electric stunned the air conditioning industry earlier in the year by declaring itself against the idea of a massive rise in residential air conditioning as completely unsustainable and also unnecessary, explaining that there are more energy efficient ways available of cooling our homes during the hottest weeks of the year.

“We undertook this initiative because we felt that we could use our position in the market to influence the way we heat and cool our buildings in the UK and we are delighted that the judges have recognised this with this award,” he added.

Further details on the 10-point initiative can be found on the dedicated website www.greengatewayinitiative.co.uk
 

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