How do we beat another energy crisis?

Investing in our planet means investing in smarter energy and water solutions, says, Glynn Williams. The technology is already out there so let’s make use of it

At the heart of safeguarding our planet must be a revolution in how we manage our precious energy and water supplies. By investing in solutions that enable more responsible and efficient resource management, we can all play a part in minimising our carbon and water footprint to help preserve our planet.
There are straightforward actions that policymakers, consumers and businesses can take to protect our planet. Improving our energy resilience, better conserving our water supplies, and proactively addressing the interrelationship between water and energy, are ways we can turbo-charge efficiencies and limit our environmental impact.
Consumers and businesses across Europe face the threat of energy shortages and the hardship of ever rising energy bills. Governments contend with limited energy supplies while consumers’ financial burden has become so severe that the choice between heating and eating has become a reality for many.
As a society, we must do everything in our power to prevent ourselves falling further into an energy crisis. If we are to meet future energy demands and manage potential disruptions to supply, we need to upgrade our energy infrastructure.
Investing in greener, more resilient energy infrastructure has the dual benefits of accelerating reducing energy bills and carbon output through less consumption.
There is untapped potential for corporates to take the lead on investing in our planet by driving energy efficiencies. Manufacturers, for example, can improve energy resilience by adopting smarter solutions that can optimise energy use and reduce carbon emissions.
Arla Foods modelled the rewards of investing in energy resilience when the dairy giant called upon Grundfos to help minimise its energy consumption and carbon output across its sites. By installing new intelligent pumps, its Westbury facility in the UK was able to achieve 481,800kWh of energy savings annually. This reduced CO2 emissions by 194 tons for their iced and chilled water systems each year. Arla’s investment in energy resilience had a speedy return on investment of less than two years.
But it is not only big corporates who can make a difference in protecting our energy resources. Consumers can also benefit from improving efficiencies. While insulation is afforded much attention, consumers should tackle the problem at its root by making easy yet impactful switches to their home’s energy equipment.
For example, replacing an old circulator pump with a newer, more efficient, model can save people money and more than recoup the cost of buying a new one within a year. Circulator pumps are a significant source of excessive energy use in homes, but newer models can cut their consumption by up to ten times.
In the UK, over 60 per cent of consumers and 50 per cent of businesses are concerned about rising energy bills. Yet, perceptions of high-upfront costs of improving energy efficiency hold people back from making much-needed investments to their energy infrastructure. If educated on the cost-effective opportunities available, consumers can play their part in investing in our planet by investing in efficient infrastructure at home – all while saving money.
Water resilience is an increasingly relevant challenge for countries around the world, particularly as climate change exacerbates water scarcity. We can address the issue by empowering end-users to adopt smart solutions that boost water efficiency and allow for water reuse.
Most households waste between 15,000 and 20,000 litres of water annually. This volume of water waste could supply up to 7,500 people with fresh drinking water for an entire day. Excessive water waste not only harms the environment but imposes unnecessary burdens on human beings.
But solutions are at hand. In 2022 alone, smart solutions helped our customers save 1.8 billion cubic metres of water, cutting costs for end-users and preserving precious supplies. Recirculator pumps, for instance, use innovative technology to provide hot water from the moment a tap is turned on. Consumers do not waste as they wait for hot water, generating energy savings of up to 90 per cent compared to traditional recirculation systems. Within 18 to 24 months, investment in the recirculator pumps essentially pays for itself through savings on energy costs.
Companies must also do their part to invest in smarter water management. Take the case of global soft drinks manufacturer Britvic. This growing company wanted to meet heightened demand by increasing its production capacity while reducing energy consumption at its facility in Rugby, UK.
By upgrading the site’s pumping system, Britvic was able to curb energy consumption and reduce wastewater by optimising efficiencies across the production line. The company now uses the optimal amount of water for cooling and is expected to save £374,420 per year – delivering a return on investment in less than a year. Investing in smarter water solutions is both environmentally beneficial and financially rewarding for corporates and consumers.
There are actionable and impactful steps that we can and must all take to invest in our planet. From positive behavioural changes geared towards conserving resources to innovative technology allowing for improved efficiencies, everyone – from governments, consumers and corporates – share the responsibility and opportunity to preserve our planet for future generations.
In practice, investing in our planet means investing in a future of energy resilience and more efficient resource management. By seizing opportunities to adopt measures that optimise the interrelationship between water and energy, we can ensure that our investments in our planet have as big of an enduring impact as possible.

• Glynn Williams is UK country director of Grundfos