Environmental Policy

Published by N4 Gas Limited
Last edited/reviewed on Monday 8th Jul 2024

General Statement of Intent

We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment by:

  • Continually monitoring legislative changes and technological developments to influence our policies and procedures going forward.
  • Ensuring that our use of energy throughout the business and its operations is kept to a minimum.
  • Conserving natural resources by reusing and recycling as many materials as possible and by purchasing recycled materials where appropriate.
  • Being a responsible member of the local business community by the way that we impact on the environment that we share, and to act promptly and effectively to correct any problems or incidents that might affect the environment or the health or safety of our staff, our business neighbours or of the inhabitants of the area.
  • Use products that we know to be safe for use, energy-efficient in operation, protective of the environment, and that can be reused, recycled or disposed of safely.
  • Making all of our employees aware of this policy and their responsibilities for environmental issues.
  • Encouraging our clients and suppliers to also engage with environmental topics where we can help aid and influence.
In practical terms:

Non-essential electrical equipment will be switched off whenever possible.Office lighting, heating and non-essential kit will be turned off overnight, and over weekends.

During occupancy hours, office heating will be turned down to the lowest acceptable staff-agreed level.

All procurement of goods or services should consider the environmental impact of the product purchased, its packaging and delivery method. Where it is sensible, we will use second-user or recycled equipment.

We will aim to share lifts whenever two or more staff are visiting the same site and have a similar route or part of the journey.

We will attempt to reduce travel in general by careful planning of jobs and travelling to sites in groups.

We will gather all waste at the office location for separation into streams so waste can be diverted to routes for recycling.

Products we consume

N4 Gas Limited requires the use of products to be purchased, which will be consumed whilst undertaking business operations. Where possible, purchased products will be kept to a minimum at all times. Where products are purchased and a selection of products are available to choose from, products will be selected for their best fit.

In most cases, products we purchase shall be made of:

Short term use products

Short term use products are products that will not be used regularly or have a limited lifespan shall be selected with great care to ensure their source is sustainable and that a full recovery of materials can be made through existing recycling services that the company has access to. In some cases, it may be appropriate to swap the short term use product for a long term use product where appropriate (For instance, replacing paper towels with washable towels).

All short term use products must be 100% recyclable from sustainable sources.

Long term use products

Long term use products shall not be considered based on cost alone. All long term purchases shall be assessed for their future sustainability. By buying for long term, we can reduce overall material consumption and remove materials from the delivery network.

All long term use products shall be 80% recyclable from responsible sources.

Non-recyclable products

Products that cannot be recycled at the end of their life or that do not meet the criteria above shall be carefully assessed prior to purchase to ensure that an alternative product is not available.

The purchase of PEX/PERT/MLCP products is strictly prohibited within the company unless there is no viable alternative. David or Dan shall need to be contacted prior to purchase or deployment for a use case to be confirmed.

Energy we use

The company requires energy to be purchased in to operate. We have staff that work from home, work on the road and work in the office. We currently acknowledge that our main sources of energy consumption are:

  • Electricity
  • Natural Gas
  • Diesel
  • Office energy use

The office has been equipped with low energy lighting, automatic shut down of lighting and automatic switch off of powered equipment on lockup. When the office is open and occupied by staff, climate controls will be set to the lowest possible level where all occupants feel comfortable.

When items within the office require replacement, items shall only be replaced with components of an equal or lower energy consumption value than that which it is replacing.

Our primary in-house data server is interlocked with the main office operating hours.

Electrical energy purchased in shall be done from a “green energy” supplied tariff.

Gas usage shall be kept to a minimum by implementing low temperature heating systems with weather compensation within the office environment.

“Cloud” energy use

Cloud computing shall be purchased from suppliers that offer “green energy” tariffs or those being supplied exclusively with green energy for both power and cooling.

Home worker energy use

The company acknowledges that its home workers will use their own gas and electricity tariffs to buy in energy for business use. To ensure this is kept to a minimum, home worker “kit” will be selected with an eye for its energy efficiency and the lowest possible energy consumption. Home worker kit shall be unplugged during non-working hours to reduce “stand-by” energy waste.

All staff, not just home workers are entitled to use the engineering workforce to install and implement low temperature heating solutions within their home at “material cost”.

Remote worker (Engineering staff) energy use

Our engineers are acknowledged to be the largest consumers of energy within the business. This is split into three general areas…

Moving around

This will often be Diesel usage. The company will assess the possibility of electric vans on an individual or group basis annually. Staff do commute long distances due to the skills required by the business. Commuting via public transport has been investigated, however safe storage of vehicles and tools is an issue that the company has no current solution.

From the initial study done by the company in 2022, we require a range of approximately 200 miles per day with a 2,000kg payload, however this does not account for the callout process during winter months which is yet to be factored in. Additionally the research has concerns about the lifecycle of batteries used within the current range of electric vans.

Financially, although a high investment, running costs should be lower on electric, subject to not requiring the use of fast charging stations. Situation to be monitored. At this time, all company vehicles shall meet the Euro 6 standard of emissions with Euro 7 due to launch in July 2025.

Energy for kit

The company provides power tools to employees, however the company is aware that most power tools are often employee owned. In line with the PUWER, the company will ensure all power tools are kept in good working order and regularly checked and maintained to a high standard. However the company will make a selection of its own power tools using power efficiency as a standard in selection combined with a circular material life. Employees purchasing their own power tools will be encouraged to use the same buying principle and where products align, the company will pay toward the employees cost to a value of 10% of the tool value (Contact David/Dan for information).

General usage of power tools will be done inline with manufacturer instructions, special attention to chargers being unplugged when not in use is essential.

Energy used within customer premises

It is acknowledged that engineers will use energy within customer premises, including lighting, power and gas. Engineers will turn lights off when not required and unplug their own equipment when not in use.

Gas consumption shall be kept to a minimum through testing and operational needs, however the company acknowledges that energy will be wasted through testing operations. It is the intention of the company that a procedure will be developed by the start of 2025 to allow calculation of the wasted energy through testing processes be made.

Route Planning

Where possible, the N4 Gas Limited booking system will be deployed to allow intelligent planning of jobs and areas to prevent excess travel across the areas being worked.

The system was originally launched in 2019 and is continually being developed with patches being applied monthly and AI integration starting in 2023. It is essential that engineers follow the routes being planned to continue to develop the system and help improve navigation.

Timeless booking is an essential part of reducing our fuel use and reduction of carbon emissions to the environment.

Premium clients and “timeless” bookings

All clients shall be encouraged to select bookings being offered that are inline with the calendar options being presented through the smart booking system. It is beneficial that all appointments be “timeless” to allow integration and swapping of jobs to make routes more efficient.

The company is aware that some of the “premium clients” will not accept “timeless” appointments which will always be a major waste, however it is hoped that with responsible management, we can eventually encourage timeless booking, especially with key access jobs.

Disposal of Waste

N4 Gas Limited has a zero to landfill target. All waste is to be disposed of via circular recycling and recovery where possible. To enable us to achieve this, waste generated through business operations shall be returned to the office for disposal, no matter how small.

All waste being disposed of outside N4 Gas Limited shall require a waste transfer notice to help us comply with current regulations and more importantly, help get our waste back into a usable state.

Our core routes for waste disposal:

Waste: Metallic waste

Where metallic waste can be segregated (Such as Copper/Brass/Steel), this is to be done on the stripping bench. There are provided bins for each material which will be collected when full and returned to a licensed processing facility.

Mixed metals, excluding PCBs shall be stored as such.

Waste: Cardboard

All card is to be broken down and placed in the assigned space where it will be compacted and collected by a licensed carrier. Paper should not be mixed with card.

Waste: Paper

Paper holding confidential information shall be posted in the secure bin at the rear of the office for processing by DataShred. Where possible, paper with minimal confidential information should be cut and only the confidential information shredded as full sheet paper can be recycled with less energy requirement. Full sheet paper without confidential information can simply be stored in the labelled location for collection by a licensed carrier (Biffa).

Waste: PERT/PEX/MLCP

At this time, we have no route to recycle PEX or PERT. Long lengths are to be kept and stored for possible re-use in the future? Offcuts shall have inserts removed and then be chipped for landfill at this time.

Waste: Plastics

Hard and soft plastics shall be segregated where possible. Our licensed carrier will collect when the bins are full.

Waste: Appliances

Removed functional appliances shall be stored in the dry waste room. Framework agreements are in place with several educational institutions for their application in training environments.

At this time (July 24), colleges have been unable to provide a waste transfer notice. For the interim, all waste being disposed of via this route shall be logged separately in case of inspection or issue.

Waste: Chemicals

All consumables and chemicals in use by the company shall have a COSHH assessment completed prior to their deployment in the field. Some of these items may require specialist disposal which will be detailed in the COSHH assessment, please review before disposal.

All partially used and re-stored chemicals are to be stored inline with the COSHH assessment.

Waste: Power Tools

See electrical equipment below.

Waste: Electrical Equipment

Where equipment is no longer required, but fully functional and suitable for onward use, please renew PAT test, if it passes, items shall be passed to suitable charities or listed online for free re-use.

Where equipment fails PAT test or is not suitable for onward use, it is to be disabled (Lead cut) and recycled through a WEEE licensed contractor.

Waste: PCBs

Functional: To be tested and dry stored for offer to person(s) at a significantly reduced rate of sale with limited operational warranty. Requires full safety test. Gas ignition controllers are not permitted for resale.

Non functional without heat or water damage: Return for refurbishment through approved contractor.

Non functional with burning or water damage: Recycle through WEEE licensed contractor.

Waste: Asbestos

Removed Asbestos is to be stored outside in the locked cage inline with removal requirements. This is to be handed to an approved and licensed contractor with specialist knowledge. All Asbestos is to be weighed in and out to prevent confusion and must be clearly labelled prior to storage.

Waste: Construction and Misc. Waste

For miscellaneous waste and difficult waste that has no specialist requirements. There is a HippoBag by the garage for this waste. Hippo Waste have a 95% road to recycle target which we deem acceptable for this kind of waste and fits with the company's target to zero landfill.

Use of Water

In all instances, engineers shall do their utmost best to prevent waste water. Systems shall only be drained when absolutely necessary and leaks shall be rectified as soon as practicable.

Some operations of the business require excessive volumes of water, to include; but not be limited to flushing of heating systems. Where possible, flushing will be done on a closed loop with one of the flushing machines, however the company accepts that alternative methods may be deployed such as “ThoroughFlushingⓇ” which can use in excess of 2,000ltrs per job. Before deployment of these high consumption methods, a consideration to alternative methods shall be considered by all engineers.

All water shall be disposed of in accordance with current water regulations for re-processing.

Environmental Accidents

The company has identified the following emergency situations that may be applicable to how we operate which may lead to an undesired environmental impact or safety related risk.

  • Flood, fire, natural disaster.
  • Accident, incident, near miss, dangerous occurrence.
  • Release of chemical substance to drains.

As part of this, we will address the following on sites under our control:

  • Identification of potential and actual accidents and emergency situations.
  • Proper response to emergencies and prevention or mitigation of serious environmental impacts.
  • Provisions for periodic reviews and revisions of the procedures
  • Immediate reviews shall always be initiated after the occurrence of such events.
  • Periodic drills to test the effectiveness of emergency preparedness and response procedures where deemed appropriate.

Records of environmental incidents, near-misses and non-conformities are documented. In the event of an incident, non-conformity, or near miss, members of staff involved or those witnessing the incident are responsible for reporting the event using the company portal.

Reduction of Carbon

N4 Gas Limited is committed to reducing its Carbon footprint year on year, however before a policy is completely formed, it is essential that the company understands its own impact and gets a grasp on where it performs well and where immediate actions are needed.

Over the period Jan 2024-Dec 2024 the company will monitor its Carbon emissions inline with

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2024

On completion of this monitoring process, the company will look at ways to drive down Carbon emissions within Scope 1 and Scope 2 to begin with. It is the intention of the company to be able to withstand scrutiny of Carbon Emissions by the end of 2025 and to be Carbon Neutral by 2035.

The Advice we offer

As a Gas Company, we are culpable for the current carbon crisis. It is essential that we, N4 Gas Limited train our engineers and staff to understand the dangers of releasing more carbon into the atmosphere.

We must provide clear advice, training and education to any person(s) that wish to embark on a lower carbon journey. All engineers working for N4 Gas Limited will be trained on renewable energy within 1 year of joining the company, all existing engineers have completed this training. It is the expectation that over the coming years, N4 Gas Limited will evolve into a renewables company and offer renewable energy solutions as technologies develop.

Signed

This document has been officially signed by David Fleming, Director on behalf of N4 Gas Limited.

This document was last edited/reviewed on: Monday 8th Jul 2024