The Energy Saving Trust looks at how fleets have cut costs and become more environmentally friendly - An extract from the Managing your Company Cars book edited by Colin Tourick and produced in association with Fleet News

What is the Energy Saving Trust and why does it exist?

The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is an independent not-for-profit organisation with a mission to cut CO2 emissions by promoting the sustainable and efficient use of energy.

Our reach extends to consumers, public and private sector organisations.

We offer free, practical, impartial advice to fleets to help them reduce fuel use and improve efficiency with benefits to both fleet finances and the environment.

The Energy Saving Trust delivers this advice, and smarter driving programmes, on behalf of the Department for Transport. ‘Cutting Carbon, Creating Growth’ is the Department’s mantra and this is core to the services we provide.

With more than 50% of all new car sales to fleet and business users, companies and public organisations play a leading role in the market transformation to low carbon vehicles.

EST supports fleets in their transition to low carbon in a way that benefits their businesses, by focusing on the reduction in costs that can be achieved by reducing emissions.

Increasingly there are factors which make choosing lower carbon vehicles more attractive, such as reduced or zero company car tax and vehicle excise duty; 100% capital allowances for cars of 110g/km CO2 or less; congestion charge discounts in London; and no fuel duty for electric vehicles.

As fuel prices continue to increase, this provides a further incentive to purchase efficient vehicles with lower running costs.

Government policy goes beyond the offer of incentives for purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles.

The Clean and Energy Efficient Vehicles Directive, which comes into force in 2011, will require those who procure vehicles for public use to consider energy and environmental impacts of vehicles in their procurement decisions.

What range of services does EST provide for fleet managers and others with responsibilities for their organisations’ fleets?

We understand that it’s a tough remit for fleet managers these days. Accidents, vehicle reliability issues and delayed new car deliveries have always tended to be in the category “must solve today”.

At the same time, the complexity of new tax regimes, health and safety legislation and being green, mean that while solving today’s problems, fleet managers need to have the vision to create new policies that reflect a changing world and be able to sell them to sceptical colleagues.

EST understands that our recommendations have to be practical, attractive to staff and convince finance directors that the numbers add up. It’s our business to keep up to date with new legislation, new technologies and what has worked well (and not so well) elsewhere.

EST is in the enviable position of being able to offer a completely impartial service based upon years of experience with a wide variety of fleets in a wide range of industry sectors.

Our Fleet Advice Team provides a range of expert consultancy services aimed at those individuals holding responsibility for fleet.

Within “fleet”, we include company cars, company vans, pool cars, hired cars and vans, cash allowance cars and employee-owned vehicles reimbursed for business travel (grey fleet).

Our services are tailored to the size of a fleet, and range from telephone advice to bespoke written reviews.

For fleet managers with responsibility for fleets of more than 50 vehicles (20 or more in Scotland), our Green Fleet Review (GFR) programme provides detailed, tailored fleet management advice designed to reduce running costs, reduce environmental impact and enhance corporate social responsibility.

A carbon footprint of the fleet is provided at the highest level of accuracy possible based on the data made available to us.

The Green Fleet Review is free of charge and ongoing support is available to help each client make continual improvements to their fleet’s environmental performance.

Clients are encouraged to join our Motorvate scheme following a GFR to facilitate these improvements to the environmental performance of their fleet.

Our Smarter Driving Programme trains employees in techniques to help them drive more efficiently and is proven to reduce the cost of business fuel and the likelihood of accidents.

Provision of this training can assist in demonstrating an organisation’s commitment to the environment and its staff.

The short training session (around 50 minutes) is delivered by advanced driving instructors who provide the car or van, fuel and insurance.

Training is based at the client’s premises. Results to date show that on average, each driver achieves a 15% improvement in fuel economy after training.

The cost of the training is subsidised by the Department for Transport, but a modest contribution per driver is required, as is a minimum number of trainees.

The Fleet Health Check is a service specifically aimed at assisting those with responsibility for fleets of between 25 and 100 vehicles under 3.5 tonnes.

Our consultants assess the vehicles in the fleet and provide a written report, a carbon footprint and discuss at a high level the specific areas where cost and carbon savings could be achieved.

Ongoing support is offered following the completion of the report.

We also produce a monthly fleet briefing designed to share knowledge of fleet management best practice and provide practical advice alongside industry news.

For the smaller fleet, a telephone advice service provides up to four hours of in-depth, free advice from one of our consultants experienced in the specific issues facing small fleets.

All of our services are supported by a range of free downloadable “how to” guides and a comprehensive website designed to help those with fleet responsibility.