Newsroom
News & Press Releases
Spokespeople
Assets
Blog
Contact us
ACTION NEEDED TO CURB RESURGENCE IN ENERGY WASTE AFTER LOCKDOWN, SAYS SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC 27/03/2021
Press Release energy efficiency energy management net zero
Un-lockdown preparations should include action to reduce CO2e emissions
Revealing time-lapse video shows the extent of Londons pre-pandemic Energy Waste
70% of lights in the capital stay switched on overnight
Need for better ventilation could exacerbate energy waste
London, UK - March 27 - Ahead of Earth Hour (Saturday, March 27th), Schneider Electric, the global energy management and automation firm, is calling on businesses to include CO2e reduction on their list of post-lockdown priorities. This years event coincides with many companies dusting off their plans for a safe return to the office this summer. However, energy waste is the UKs third largest source of CO2 emissions, with at least 117 million tonnes generated by lost or wasted energy each year.[1] When workers start to return to cities in more significant numbers, energy consumption, bills, and waste are likely to bounce back to these startling pre-Covid levels, if not become even higher.
Schneider has released a revealing time-lapse video showing the true extent of energy waste in London pre-pandemic as a reminder of what is at stake. Before the first lockdown in 2020, the company captured 5,400 high-definition images of light levels across the London skyline, finding that between 8:00pm and midnight, the time when people typically head home and retire to bed, light levels across the capital only fall by 30 per cent and remained more or less constant until 4:00am the following morning. By depicting energy waste in London, Schneider Electric hopes to help change perceptions and encourage action.
A staggering 28% of all energy-related CO2 emissions come from commercial and residential buildings.[2] During April 2020, more than half (57.2%)[3]of workers living in London were working from home, which contributed to a 19 per cent fall in electricity consumption from commercial premises, public administration, transport, and agriculture in Q2 2020, to 17.34 TWh - down from 21.42 TWh in the same period in 2019.[4]
Perhaps the most shocking thing about energy waste is that most of us dont even recognise it when we see it, commented Kelly Becker, Schneider Electric Zone President UK & Ireland. Nighttime cityscapes make beautiful images that are more likely to be hung as art on walls or downloaded as wallpaper on electronic devices than viewed as a depiction of energy waste. Its too easy to leave the office without switching the lights off, and this is just the one aspect of energy inefficiency that in the long run also costs businesses money and makes buildings less healthy and comfortable places to work in. As the economy reignites and people head back to the office in greater numbers, wouldnt it be incredible if we could avoid returning to previous levels of pollution and emissions, while also supporting better standards of public health? We need to address all this if we are to avoid going back to the bad old ways and build a truly green recovery.
Light is by no means the only source of energy waste. Energy is lost or wasted at every stage of its journey to our homes and businesses, in generation, transmission and our day-to-day use. With more emphasis placed on ventilation post-Covid, there could be even greater inefficiencies with heat lost through open windows. Schneider Electric has found that 82% of the potential means to reduce energy waste in buildings alone remains untapped. It has calculated that if we reduce energy consumption in just half of the worlds existing buildings by between 30-50%, and continue to electrify and decarbonise energy sources, we could halve global emissions by 2040.
The measures and technologies needed to reduce energy consumption and waste, while also ensuring sufficient fresh air circulation to mitigate the potential transmission of air-borne viruses such as SARSCoV-2, and make buildings safer and more comfortable, are already widely available. They range from insulation, double or triple glazing, LED lighting and smart energy devices, to technologically advanced HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and smart building control systems that adjust temperature and lighting according to actual occupancy levels. Businesses have an opportunity to leverage the power of these and other technologies to track and reduce carbon emissions, while following guidance on ventilation, reducing bills, and contributing to achieving Britains long-term carbon emissions goals.
Reducing energy waste doesnt always require lifestyle changes, large scale investment in infrastructure or development of new technologies, but it can make a huge difference to our carbon emissions. But its too easy to leave the office or home without switching the lights off and investing in energy-saving measures frequently requires an upfront investment. Whilst the investment will pay for itself in the long run, many landlords, businesses and individuals either cant access the money needed or would prefer to spend it elsewhere. If we are going to curb energy waste, we need tighter building standards on both new builds and existing building stock, added Kelly Becker.
Footnotes
^ [1] Schneider Electric Research, 2018
^ [2] https://www.iea.org/reports/tracking-buildings-2020
^ [3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/coronavirusandhomeworkingintheuk/april2020
^ [4] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends
United Kingdom
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/08/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its FY 2025 Regulatory Fees Order that establishes the regulatory fee rates for the broadcast stati...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...
Newsroom 
