Abstract

Industry accounts for 29% of UK energy use, with 86% derived from non-renewable sources, placing energy efficiency in this sector as a fundamental to sustainable development. Given that some 99% of UK industrial companies are Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), who are least able to devote specific resources to energy analysis, supportive initiatives in this area have the potential for significant savings and success.
This paper presents and discusses the case study of a local government project called “SUSTAIN Lincolnshire – Phase 2” to improve the energy efficiency of industrial SMEs within its region. A critical analysis, starting from the existing literature, will centre on the problems of co-ordinating and encouraging a large number of SME to become pro-active in this area. This starts with the importance of clearly defined and understood requirements, through engagement and activities with SME, to achievements attainable beyond the project.
Currently, this Council and others across Europe, have numerous initiatives, similar in style to the project considered. The critical analysis in this paper will allow those project initiators and stakeholders to take advantage of the lessons learned when developing similar projects. The paper identifies resources and techniques available to SME and highlights the difficulties in developing higher-level strategies, such as Industrial Symbiosis (IS), in the existing communities of hard-pressed SMEs. It shows the importance of persistence in this area for the initiating bodies and the benefit of building on outcomes in a coherent manner.