My Energy Blog and Why I am doing this

Blog No 1. The Introduction

So why am I starting an Energy blog?

Is this a question I can answer? What I can say is that I am not the best writer and will probably swear at times. I will definitely swear at times. The bad language is a combination of passion, frustration and a lack of articulation. If swearing in articles offends you then maybe I am not the blogger for you.

However, I think a blog has to be entertaining so I will try to introduce some humour and keep my swearing to only when it is necessary. Like the time I found an un-insulated loft in an alleged intelligent building and absolutely swore my tits off.

So when did this all begin?

Well many, many moons ago in a leisure centre far, far away. I started thinking about how we consume energy and how this was affecting the world. I say “The World” rather than our environment, because what we all do has an impact far greater than just our own environment.

At the time I was a Duty Manager in a leisure centre, a job I loved. I was happy and well thought of. So well thought of, that I was even trusted to undertake the binding of our corporate documents. It was during one marathon binding session that I came across the term “EMAS”

What was this magical term? I wondered. I was informed that EMAS stood for “Environmental Management Auditing System”.

WOW!!!!!

Not only were we working in the most successful leisure centre in the country. (They told us that a lot). Not only were we improving people’s lives, by improving their fitness. But now the inspired leadership of Sutton Community Leisure had set its sights on saving the environment.

A year later and I was no longer the chief binder of documents and had risen to the lofty position of Leisure Centre Manager. Me with my small utility belt of qualifications, a speech impediment and two spoons full of ambition. Known to some as Golden Balls but that is another story.

Shortly afterwards I learned that my Leisure Centre Managers position would double up as the Environmental Manager. As such, I would very quickly have to learn, maintain and become accredited to ISO14001. No delusions of grandeur, just the usual impostor syndrome rising to the surface and the constant question of “How the Fuck am I going to do this?”

Moving on 12 months and Sutton Community Leisure is the first and only leisure organisation in the Country to hold ISO14001, kudos to me, time to give it “the big un”, golden balls does it again.

A couple of years later, I take another leisure management job in North Yorkshire. Shortly after which, I receive a phone call from Sutton Community Leisure enquiring about the possibility of securing my services as a consultant to manage and maintain their 14001 accreditation.

The arrangement we agreed was something I was told that would be for a year only. Well I managed to stretch this out for 4 years and consulted for another leisure organisation on the south coast. In hindsight, I have a lot to thank ISO14001 for, including cutting my teeth in this industry. I can still remember my first ever accreditation visit. Where I scored 8 observations, 4 minor non-conformance's, 4 major non-conformance's and one near change of underwear.

A year after, the ISO14001 consultancy work stopped. My then employer, Scarborough Borough Council, advertised for an Energy Manager. This was a position I gained and held for 6 yrs. A job I absolutely loved, despite the harsh treatment for being a lone southerner in deepest darkest North Yorkshire. During my time there I learned a hell of a lot and it was at Scarborough Borough Council that I first started to experiment with BMS, plant and equipment. (Experimentation is a subject that will definitely feature a s a future blog, so watch this space).

My time at Scarborough ended when I accepted a 2 yr fixed term position at Norwich Bio-science Research Institute (NBI). This was an amazing position and changed my life as well as that of my wife’s and cat. Not that my cat showed any signs of appreciation on the 5hr drive. No more impostor syndrome for me, getting that position meant I was recognised!!!!

Finally, someone was saying I was good at this.

Sadly, the position at NBI only had funding for 2 yrs and I was made redundant. During my 3-month notice period, I hatched the idea of setting up my own Energy consultancy. Look at me the entrepreneur. Whatever next, a pitch on Dragons Den perhaps.

This brings me on nicely to the negativity of my father, which I will share from time to time. I remember giving my father the news of my redundancy and of my plan to launch my own energy consultancy during a visits to see him in Southall, West London.

My father’s response was to utter the words

“That worries me greatly”.

Well thanks for the vote of confidence Dad! No “Good for you” or “Go for it son!!”” just “That worries me greatly”. I have hung on to his words because frankly, he pissed me off. And secondly, proving my father wrong motivates me greatly.

I suppose this brings me on to why I am writing this blog. My aim is to publish a series of blogs, discussing a range of issues across the energy and environmental galaxy. I hope to share my experiences, asking questions along the way, making suggestions and hopefully, just hopefully, providing some useful insight that may enable others to benefit in a way that benefits the well being of this planet we share.

So there it is, my first blog complete. Albeit the introduction to what will hopefully be a series of blogs. I hope you have enjoyed it and will look out and contribute to future blog postings from Carter Energy Consulting.

Oh BTW the photo below is me about to swim in the rough sea off Cromer. I enjoy doing mad things like this. So if you are in Cromer and see someone swimming in the roughest conditions you can say "He's a Blogger, and he's Blogging mad!!" And you'd be right.