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Place Partnership hires energy manager

Written by: Prithvi Pandya
Published on: 16 Sep 2019
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Richard Hurford [square]Place Partnership has appointed Richard Hurford as the company’s new energy manager.

Hurford previously worked for Npower, Schneider Electric, and the Greater London Authority.  At the London Borough of Lewisham he was responsible for achieving Beacon Status in Sustainable Energy and for becoming the second authority in the UK to have all its electricity supplied from 100 per cent renewable sources.

At Place Partnership, Hurford will provide advice to the company’s clients and partners on how they can reduce their carbon outputs, increase efficiencies in their energy usage and reduce costs.

Hurford said: “There are 1,400 public sector buildings around Worcester, many of which can be re-engineered to cut costs and reduce their carbon output to create a better environment. Our team will undertake an evaluation of the buildings within our portfolio, identify the least efficient and outline how we can bring them up to standard.

“One important element will be to review bills and invoicing to see where we might be able to generate savings in the short term while we explore what alternative, renewable systems might be appropriate in the longer term.

“This could take the form of a number of different initiatives and products, such as building energy management system, installation of PV solar panels, or utilisation of battery technology to store generated energy for later consumption.”

Hurford will ensure that buildings are also conforming to the Worcestershire Energy Strategy, which outlines the Local Enterprise Partnership’s aspirations to enhance sustainability across the region.

The strategy outlines three key priorities to be achieved by 2030: reduction in carbon emissions of 50 per cent on 2005 levels; double the size of the low-carbon sector; and triple energy production from renewable generation.

Image credit | Place Partnership