“Strategies for optimising systems to reduce carbon will be covered and we will A identify how funding can be released by both SMEs and high volume end user.”
Matt says the whole focus will be on practicalities, covering issues such as motor regulation, energy saving, power quality, carbon grants, CRC developments, collecting and using energy data.
“We have some fresh ideas on the subject and hope that others will emerge during the discussions.
Rising energy costs have been identified by the IMechE as manufacturers’ current greatest concern, ahead of labour costs and consumer demand. Many have not understood the sudden changes to the CRC.
There is a worry that energy intensive industries could lose international competitiveness as power costs go up during the transition to a low carbon economy.
“It is clear that we have to reduce our national carbon footprint,” says Matt. “But equally we have to maintain economic activity. Technology is the enabling tool that will allow us to reduce energy consumption without compromising output.”