As I read more and more about energy efficiency, I am beginning to understand how the laws and regulations are coming together, writes HVR editor Paul Braithwaite.
You know that I am not a great believer in seamless government thinking but this seems to be working out. Perhaps, all that money we are pouring into the bureaucracy that is Brussels is going to a bureaucrat with at least one brain cell.

The thrust of energy efficiency is subtlety changing. First, it seemed to be the carrot with schemes like the Enhanced Capital Allowance, now it seems that as well as more carrots, like the feed-in tariff, there are some severe sticks. One of the latest is the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.

This is, according to Mark Northcott at Remeha, (see Will your firm benefit from energy efficiency scheme) the first legislation to contain a long-term, legally binding framework to tackle the dangers of climate change.

It sets (not asks for) some ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050 (against a baseline of 1990) and 34 per cent by 2020 (which is only 10 years away).

Any organisation which uses more than 6,000MWh of electricity through a half-hourly meter in 2008 will be affected.

Northcott estimates that around 20,000 large public and private sector organisations will be involved in the scheme.

He goes on to explain how companies can cut their energy bills and especially how controls are of paramount importance in saving fuel and therefore emissions.

In his article Yan Evans, of Andrews Water Heaters, writes on the same theme (see Low carbon solutions for communal heating systems). He has been concentrating on putting technologies together to work smarter - and save energy.

He explains how fitting a commercial boiler and a mini-CHP unit on a circuit saves lots of emissions and lots of money.

And of course with the new feed-in tariffs, any extra electricity can be sold back to the national grid.

Again, controls figure greatly in the mix. It would be no good running the boilers if the CHP unit was churning out enough hot water. In the same way, it would be useless if a solar thermal unit up on the roof was generating enough hot water for the building if the back-up condensing boiler, for instance, was still churning away, making more hot water.

We can all make a difference. In my case I am usually the last out of the office. I ignore the fact the lights are burning away until the cleaners turn up. One NHS health service energy manager reckoned he saved £25,000 in the first three months, mostly by turning off lighting and heating when the admin staff had gone home.

We have to think now because if we don't it will cost us dear.