The Environmental Protection Ministry and the Small and Medium Businesses
Administration of the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry have jointly launched a
“savings patrol” to help businesses increase their energy efficiency and reduce
pollution.
The patrol intends to help small- and medium-sized businesses
not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also their operational costs, the
ministries said.
Those businesses that decide to embark upon the energy
efficiency path will be able to receive accompanying funds for furthering that
process and will receive the help of an environmental consultant to help them
achieve their goals and meet green regulations, the offices explained. The
patrol will be working with businesses in which energy consumption is a major
factor in their operations.
“Green economic activity is beneficial for
both industry and the environment,” Environmental Protection Minister Gilad
Erdan said. “A few simple steps can reduce a business’s expenses and the
pollution that it produces, and the direct beneficiary of this is the
consumer.”
The Environmental Protection Ministry and the Small and Medium
Businesses Administration will subsidize the cost of the consultation process,
requiring an investment from the owners of only about NIS 30 per hour, the
offices explained.
In addition to mapping the energy resources used by
the businesses, the consultants will perform potential efficiency analyses,
offer possible solutions, evaluate return on investment, and provide support
during the implementation process of a given solution.
“Energy efficiency
is good for business and good for the environment,” said Ran Kiviti, director of
the Small and Medium Businesses Administration.
“It promotes
sustainability in two ways: reducing energy consumption and thereby reducing
pressure on natural resources, and supporting small businesses that benefit the
local economy and the society in which they operate.”
Managers of small-
and medium-sized businesses have a very heavy administrative burden, and there
is often a lack of familiarity with the potential savings such a business can
accumulate by reducing energy consumption, Kiviti explained.
The patrol
will be able to help the owners and workers of these businesses reach their
maximum potential in energy efficiency, he stressed.
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