Energy efficiency luminaries gather before Parliament passes its vote
London, UK, 27 February 2012, – 1E, the global leader in IT efficiency software, today announced that CEO Sumir Karayi will join a panel of energy efficiency luminaries to debate the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). The debate, entitled Common Sense Policy in an age of austerity and why the UK needs a European Framework for Energy Efficiency takes place in UK Parliament tomorrow, Tuesday 28th February 2012 at 12.00pm GMT. It co-incides with the deadline for European parliamentarians to vote on the Directive in Brussels before handing over the text to the national capitals for the next stage of the decision-making process in the European Council.
In the age of austerity, managing energy use is one of the most cost-effective solutions to stimulate a green economy. Energy efficiency is an area where British businesses excel. Many already have technologies and services to help individuals, communities and businesses save significant amounts of energy.
“There are approximately five million small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK today; arguably the backbone of the UK economy. Innovative organisations across Europe large and small are creating valuable opportunities for greater energy efficiency. The high-tech industry in particular is a keystone of the low-carbon economy and one that creates high-value jobs and growth at a time when we need them most. We need to focus on innovation in order to move forward towards the positive changes that we have set ourselves as a country – to reduce UK carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050,” comments Sumir Karayi CEO, 1E.
“One of the fastest ways in which organisations can become energy efficient is to look at their IT infrastructure. To date, our IT efficiency solutions have helped more than 1,600 organizations worldwide make £900m in efficiency savings. This includes £500m in energy costs alone and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 5.8 million tonnes,” concludes Karayi.
“Putting in place a regulatory framework for energy efficiency at the European level is the most effective way to give investors certainty in the energy efficiency market. A binding commitment for energy efficiency in Europe will also create opportunities for British companies to export their solutions, technologies and know-how into other European countries and create hundreds of thousands of local jobs,” comments Monica Frassoni, European Alliance to Save Energy. “We hope that the UK government seizes this opportunity and supports an ambitious text in this next, crucial stage of the legislative process”.
Karayi will join panelists from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Caroline Lucas MP, Alan Whitehead MP, Monica Frassoni, President of the European Alliance to Save Energy, Tony Robson, Group CEO of Knauf Insulation and Martin Schaer, Vice President, Siemens Building Technologies Division. The panel session will be moderated by Fiona Harvey, Environment Correspondent, The Guardian.
