Environmental responsibility is something of a buzzword at present and rightly so, as the extent to which our activity has impacted upon the earth has only relatively recently come to light. With individuals looking to reduce their carbon footprint and government initiatives established to attempt to reduce motor vehicle usage, it has affected all aspects of life. Businesses, particularly those involved with the manufacturing sector have by no means escaped this concerted push to lower emissions and minimise energy consumption.

In order to meet specific regulations relating to emissions, many companies have had to change their practices and invest in new technology. The laws surrounding energy efficiency however are not as strict and given the cost of replacing all older equipment with new, more efficient machinery, many companies opt to stick with what they have and continue to pay higher fuel bills: as this is cheaper in the short-term than a complete equipment upgrade. Although this is the case in a sizeable percentage of manufacturing industries, some businesses are able to drastically reduce their energy consumption with the implementation of simple and eminently affordable solutions.

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