As a leading insurer we are all too aware of the impact of extreme weather on our customers through events such as floods and subsidence. Climate change is one of the most important issues we face. It is an issue close to our hearts and something we have been passionately involved in for years. We are proud to have been the first insurer in the UK to become carbon neutral in 2006. We believe that we all have a part to play in managing environmental impacts. We can play a positive role in three areas;
• Reducing our own impacts
• Developing products and services to help our customers reduce their impacts
• Highlighting these issues to a wider audience - the general public, regulators and other companies.
We have recently pulled these strands together under the theme of ‘ecoworks’. This area is designed to give you a flavour of some of the things we are up to.
The European Union has recognised the importance of energy efficiency in buildings as a means of addressing climate change. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directives requires property owners and landlords to provide energy performance certificates when they construct, sell or lease a commercial building from April 2008. Such certificates are available from MORE TH>N’s parent RSA.
The Directive will also require the display of energy certificates for public buildings over 1000m2 from October 2008 and regular inspections of air conditioning systems over 250KW from January 2009.
RSA is working hard with its energy industry partner, Charterhouse Energy Limited, to provide companies with the help they need to optimise their energy efficiency, be environmentally responsible and comply with the new regulations.”
To help businesses avoid fines for not complying with this new legislation, RSA offers ten pieces of advice:
1. Make sure you are aware which (if any) of your properties is subject to the new legislation. This will depend on the size and use of the property.
2. There will be a limited number of accredited companies that can provide Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and demand is likely to exceed supply. Talk to your property management company to find out who will be able to provide these certificates.
3. Formulate a strategy. Review which buildings you are going to sell, modify or re-lease over the next twelve months and prioritise.
4. Budget for compliance costs and any potential improvements to your assets as a result of your energy grade. A low energy grade could be used as a bargaining tool to reduce rent or building values.
5. To save cost and time, collate the information needed to complete an EPC prior to the implementation of the Directive. It requires details such as:
• building size
• total usable floor area
• your building asset register
• an up-to-date Operation & Maintenance manual/log book for your building
6. Review your lease agreements. Make sure they are up to modern standards as advised by the British Property Federation.
7. Make sure your property valuations are up-to-date.
8. If you are required to produce a Display Energy Certificate make sure you have the last 12 months’ utility bills available, preferably in electronic format.
9. It is the user/operator’s responsibility to make sure the energy assessment of air conditioning audits is carried out. Understand the size of your units and engage with a competent person to complete the inspection.
10. Go to http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding
/theenvironment/energyperformance/ to see your full responsibilities as landlord or tenant with regard to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
We know that the environment is something that many of our customers and people feel passionate about and recycling helps us to reduce the impact that we have as a business on the environment. It also helps us meet our Environmental Targets and is another step on our journey to becoming the UK’s leading insurer on green issues.
As part of our ongoing drive to reduce our own carbon footprint we’re always looking for ways where we can be more efficient. One small thing we’re doing is encouraging our people to view their payslips online and ‘opt out’ of receiving paper ones. It’s not ground breaking, but it generates real savings in terms of paper, printing and transport.
We’re proud of the strides we are making as a business to reduce our own environmental impacts and we also play an active role in partnership with other organisations. Here are a few examples.
Together is an innovative climate change initiative launched in 2007. Through Together a group of household name companies have come together to create products and services that make it easier for their customers to reduce their environmental impact. MORE TH>N is a founding member of Together, to find out more visit www.together.com.
ClimateWise is a group of leading companies and organisations in the insurance industry. Each of us is committed to taking action on climate change and to reporting publicly on our own performance.
We will lead the way in analysing and reducing risks; support climate awareness amongst our customers and reduce the environmental impact of our business. To find out more visit www.climatewise.org.uk.
Earlier this year we entered into an affinity deal with the National Trust under which we would develop car and home insurance for Trust members, supporters and visitors that offer our usual high quality insurance but also have additional green benefits built into them.
