Taking action
We’re taking action on climate change by:
- improving the energy efficiency of our operations
- buying renewable energy
- offsetting unavoidable emissions.
Sky’s CO2e emissions for 2008/2009 were:
- Total Gross CO2e emissions: 143,487 tonnes
- Total Net CO2e emissions: 59,618 tonnes
Our target is to reduce net CO2e emissions to 61,097 tonnes by 2010 which, as our 2008/2009 total net CO2e emissions show, we are on track to meeting. This will be a 10% reduction from our 2003 baseline.
For more information on our gross and net emissions visit our Bigger Picture Review 2009 (opens in a new window).
Being carbon neutral
For emissions we can’t yet reduce or avoid, we invest in verified offsets. For more information on the projects in which we are investing and more information on our carbon neutral strategy see carbon neutral Sky (opens in a new window).
Again this year we have engaged ERM to independently assure our carbon neutral status. See ERM’s assurance statement here (opens in a new window).
Improving building efficiency
In 2008/09 carbon emissions from energy use accounted for around 53% of our net carbon footprint. As a result, in 2008/09 we decided to install "smart" electricity meters in all the buildings we own, to measure electricity use floor by floor and help us identify potential savings. We’ll be rolling these out in 2009/10 and will aim to publish the results on our intranet to engage employees to reduce what they use. Other improvements we’ve made include installing chilled beam technology air conditioning systems that use less energy, solar powered lighting, and controls that automatically switch lights off when a room is not being used.
Data centres can consume a lot of energy. So we’re reducing the number of data centres we use from thirteen to two, and making energy efficiency a priority at these sites. Steps we’ve taken so far include replacing older servers with newer machines that can store up to 10 times more data without increasing power consumption, and an innovative cooling system that directs cold air to where it’s needed.
The implementation of a number of energy efficiency initiatives, including the installation of efficient chillers, variable speed pumps, and the continued investment in energy efficient lighting and smart metering our main sites including Osterley, Chilworth, Dunfermline and Livingston has contributed to a 5% reduction in electricity use and a 21% reduction in gas consumption in 2008/09, compared to 2007/08.
We purchase all of our electricity requirements for UK owned sites from a renewable energy tariff with Scottish and Southern, which includes the energy output of a wind farm on the Isle of Skye. Scottish and Southern, on behalf of ourselves, retain the appropriate certificates linked with the power / KWh purchased in the form of Levy Exemption Certificates (LECs) and Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs).
Travel emissions
In 2008/09 transport accounted for 42% of our total net carbon footprint. Around 92% of our van fleet is now warranted to use sustainably-sourced B30 biodiesel, and we’ve also introduced hybrid vehicles for our regional managers. We use a route planning system and a training programme to help engineers get the best fuel economy from their vans.
Business air travel is another important focus, especially flights between Edinburgh and London where most of our staff are based. We use an HD virtual meeting service to replace flights where possible. We also designated April 2009 a ‘No Fly Month’, and challenged employees to reduce business air travel by using alternatives such as trains and video conferencing. We were delighted to see a reduction in flights of 60% during the month and gave out awards to the departments who did most to reduce air travel. Over the year there has been a 35% decrease in business air travel and we’ll be looking to continue this trend over the coming year.
Indirect emissions
In 2008/09 we examined emissions from outside broadcast activities, outdoor advertising, third party suppliers who carry out set top box installations and third party suppliers who provide customer contact centre services. Together these accounted for approximately 26,023 tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2008/09.
This year we also completed a high level review of the carbon emissions of our supplier base. We believe this to be a very important step in understanding the impacts of our business beyond our own direct influence. The next stage of this project will be to work with our top 50 carbon emitting suppliers, which were identified by the first stage of the project, to further understand their CO2 emissions and identify ways we can work together to reduce these emissions.