ESG Metric: GHG Scope 1 emissions
Ease of implementation: Easy
Suitable for: Office, manufacturing and commercial building-based companies
Suggested functional lead: Facility manager
Summary
Switching gas supplier can be a great way to reassess your tariffs and ensure you switch to a renewable energy supplier with initiatives to offset or capture the carbon produced by natural gas combustion. Please note that when we talk about natural gas, it does not include natural gas-powered electricity. It is important to investigate which natural gas supplier in your country is incorporating Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) into their natural gas combustion processes, as well as identifying their other offsetting or environmental projects. Then, with the permission from the facility manager, you can make the switch to a natural gas supplier which is actively working on geoengineering projects to remove carbon. It is crucial to support the research and implementation of geoengineering methods to work towards a greener future.
Background Information
In 2018, the combustion of natural gas accounted for a third of the CO2 emissions in the US1. The emissions are further exacerbated through methane leaks during extraction and transportation. One way to reduce the emissions from natural gas is through Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). This is where the carbon emitted through combustion is captured and stored instead of being released into the atmosphere. This is a relatively new geoengineering method but is being implemented globally already. It is therefore advised that your natural gas is supplied by an energy supplier working to capture carbon and decrease their environmental impact. Offsetting, on the other hand, is the reduction or removal of CO2 or other GHGs in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. In practice, offsetting projects usually include planting trees or protecting a forest area due to the fact that trees remove carbon from the atmosphere. The square footage of land will depend on the amount of carbon required to offset. This is a good practice, however, can deter organisations from actually decreasing their emissions in the first place. Offsetting projects where a forest area is protected from deforestation may just displace the deforestation and logging to another location and, in turn, does not sequester the necessary carbon. CCS, however, does not offset any carbon emitted but works to actively remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Implementation Steps
Get permission from office or building manager
If you do not own your building, request permission from the facility manager to switch gas supplier for the whole facility. This might be a benefit for all employees because it will also address Scope 1 emissions for the other organisations that occupy. It might also drive and help the building owner to work towards sustainable building accreditations.
Research gas suppliers and their offsetting schemes
When contacting multiple gas suppliers, it is important to identify renewable energy suppliers in your country. Investigate where their natural gas comes from and any carbon offsetting initiatives. We suggest finding an energy supplier in your country which is either running or supporting CCS. Supporting CCS projects allows this geoengineering method to scale up and potentially be the largest technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it safely underground. CCS is included in the UN best case scenario projections as a main source to tackle climate change. It is far more effective than offsetting as it tackles the carbon emitted globally rather than one-off offsetting projects which may not decrease the overall carbon in the atmosphere.
Compare tariffs with other energy suppliers
Contact multiple renewable energy suppliers and get a quote identifying their natural gas tariffs and standing charges. You may find that there is a better deal out there. Any price comparison website such as Uswitch will be helpful in identifying the best option.
Take meter reading
Ensure you have up to date gas meter readings and statements from the day before installation. This will help with the switch as well as future calculations of energy usage from the renewable energy supply.
Make the switch
Once an executive decision has been made regarding the gas supplier, make the switch over to them. The timeframe of the switch varies globally but can take from just 1 day to over 30 days.
Assign responsibility for monitoring the gas consumption and offsetting initiatives
Assign the responsibility to a member of staff to monitor the gas usage and implement improvement to gas usage. This may include energy saving advice such as reducing the temperature of duration of time of the heating systems. Keep updated on the gas supplier’s CCS and offsetting initiatives and share these with your staff.