Awareness-raising campaigns

In 2008, in-house awareness-raising campaigns were implemented in a number of countries, including Chile and the United Kingdom, in a bid to foster a culture of energy saving and efficiency among employees.

Employee-focussed awareness-raising campaigns are not only central to achieving the goal of reduced energy consumption but also help induce gradual, on-going changes in employee habits.

• "Conéctate al Ahorro” (Connect to the Saving)

The "Conéctate al Ahorro" campaign to foster reduced energy consumption that was rolled out in Chile in 2008 was particularly important in this respect.
 
Telefónica Movistar Chile implemented the campaign as part of its drive to promote energy efficiency among all employees at all facilities. The campaign disseminated various messages and practices designed to foster an in-house culture of reduced electricity and water consumption in all office buildings. It is hoped that the impact of these measures on the company's electricity consumption will be measurable in 2009.

• "Flick the Switch"

Another prime example of campaigns to raise awareness and understanding on energy-related issues was the "Flick the Switch" campaign carried out in the United Kingdom. This initiative sought to improve electricity demand management in employee IT systems by encouraging users to switch of their PCs, monitors and lighting systems outside office hours (i.e. to "flick the switch"). This simple action had the potential to generate savings of around € 221,000 in 2008.

The initiative also entailed installing an automated power management system that switches off monitors after they have been left idle for 10-20 minutes. This automated system is expected to generate an estimated annual saving of € 76,000.