Call to seize advantage of new carbon law.

COMPANIES have been preparing for new rules designed to cut their carbon emissions with help from development agency One North East The Government's Carbon Reduction Commitment, CRC, legislation is due to be introduced next April and will require organisations to monitor and report the amount of energy they use, with organisations using more than 6,000MWh (Mega Watts per Hour) being required to buy allowances to cover future emissions.

ONE is helping S given via a CRC simulation project which will run for 12 months to demonstrate practically to companies what CRC will mean for them.

Places on the scheme are limited to 50, with more than half already filled.

ONE is urging any business that thinks it may be affected by CRC to contact it to get involved. The project was launched last April and will run until March 2010, taking businesses seamlessly into the start of the CRC scheme.

Because of their size and energy spend, it is expected about 150 organisations in the North East will have to take part in the full CRC scheme, which have both financial and training implications for these organisations.

The agency has appointed energy consultancy TNEI to help businesses prepare for the CRC and to run the simulation project.

Specialists at TNEI will work with participating companies to undertake energy assessments, help companies produce carbon reduction plans, ensuring firms understand the new rules and regulations and positioning them so they can benefit from the CRC legislation. Energy consultant and project manager at TNEI Helen Nisbet said: "Far from being daunted by the new CRC legislation, with early action offered via the simulation project, businesses in the North East can seize the advantage.

The project will help organisations produce energy consumption assessments for 2008/09, which are a key requirement of the new legislation." ONE energy leadership specialist Kate Hatton, who is managing the project, said: "We are aiming to work with companies that will be affected by CRC to ensure that they are in a better position for when the new legislation takes effect.

"Our aim is to make this as easy and painless as possible for businesses and we will be helping them by developing bespoke carbon management plans tailored to their energy use." TNEI will offer assistance to companies preparing carbon reduction plans by providing technical advice, knowledge sharing as well as hosting a series of events to provide training on the new legislation.

CRC will apply to organisations that have at least one half hourly meter for electricity consumption, and used more than 6,000MWh in 2008.

CRC organisations will purchase carbon allowances at the start of the trading year, which will be surrendered when an organisation reports their actual energy usage at the reporting point for that trading year.

There are still spaces available on the Carbon Reduction North East simulation.

If you would like to take part, please contact Kate Hatton on [phone] or email kate.hatton@onenortheast.

co.uk or visit www.onenortheast.co.

uk/carbonreduction