WHAT are the key messages, tools and events?

Key messages

You will want to package your information to get the most out of your program. The message – what you say and how you say it – will largely determine your success.

It is important that everyone knows the specific energy efficiency goals and targets your company has chosen and the improvements that are going to be made to achieve them.

No matter what the message, a vital creative technique is to promote the benefits, not the features, of your program. Remember to

• emphasize that savings resulting from lower energy bills will benefit the company and, ultimately, the employees
• highlight the key role employees are playing in the success of the program, and stress that they should take pride in their efforts
• promote the fact that energy efficiency improvements can result in a better and more comfortable workplace
• highlight the benefits your company will choose to pursue with the savings you achieve
• tell employees how their efforts to reduce energy consumption will benefit the environment
• recognize and reward employee participation
• encourage employees to apply what they learn at work to their household energy use

Slogan Suggestions

• Watts the problem? Turn it off!
• Not in Use? Turn Off the Juice!
• No one around? Power down!
• It’s our business to power down!
• It makes cents to turn it off!
• Have Good $ense: Turn It Off!
• Save your energy for better things!
• You’ve got the power to save energy!

Coming up with a good slogan is an effective tool. It should capture the essence of your program, quickly present employees with the benefits of saving energy and create a sense of accomplishment and belonging. You will know your message has succeeded when employees apply the slogan to their everyday activities.

Tools

Communications tools should highlight your overall objectives, deliver your key messages and keep your employees up to date. There are hundreds of creative formats and communications tools you can use to reach your target audience. Take a look at what you already have. All of the following can play a role in your EAP:

Printed materials

• company newsletters or communiqués
• pamphlets and brochures to inform your employees about the program
• posters to highlight key messages
• paycheque stuffers to serve as reminders
• pop-up tent cards for lunchroom tables
• buttons, stickers and banners that incorporate your chosen theme

Internet-based

• company Web site
• e-mail, on-line networks

Public channels

• media releases to broadcast your messages
• displays or booths hosted by a team representative
• bulletin boards in high-traffic areas
• public address system / intercom announcements
• regular employee and/or departmental meetings
• employee committees (environmental, social, quality teams, etc.)

Work out what you want to develop in-house. For example, you may decide to use the company mascot or develop another angle or theme. Be consistent with your visual images and with the tone of your text. Keep your message simple and repeat it at every opportunity!

Many companies have in-house design and printing facilities that can take on the task of producing publications and promotional materials. In this case, it is wise to contract experts in writing, design and printing, as mistakes can be costly and inconvenient. Remember to get several quotations for this work.

Events

Implementing an EAP takes commitment, enthusiasm and imagination. Use your team to come up with ideas for events and activities.

Fast Facts

• Regular inspections and preventive maintenance will minimize compressor component failures associated with water and compressed air systems.
• Shedding loads, shifting loads or improving processes can reduce your peak demand and electrical power requirements.
• Oversizing pipes may increase capital and insulation costs and result in higher surface heat losses, while undersizing them may require higher pressure and extra pumping energy and result in higher leakage losses.
• A scale buildup of 1 mm in boilers can increase fuel consumption by 2 percent.
• A 20°C reduction in flue gas temperature will improve boiler efficiency by 1 percent.

Here are some special vehicles you may want to consider:

• Hold regular “town hall” meetings to communicate and discuss your short- and long-term plans.
• Conduct competitions, with rewards and prizes, to see which department or section can save the most energy or put forward the best suggestions for energy efficiency improvements.
• Host employee awareness days and/or weeks.
• Put on a special kickoff event, presentation or workshop at least two weeks before the date you have chosen for your major event. Include an article in the company newsletter and/or put up posters and announcements.
• Distribute brochures, pamphlets or leaflets to all employees. Display extra copies in lobbies, lunchrooms or lounges.
• Hand out T-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers or other giveaway items, and encourage everyone to use them. Don’t forget, your champion, team members and volunteers are models for your new corporate energy-saving culture!
• Keep the community informed through regular media releases to local newspapers and radio and television stations. It is a good idea to follow up these releases with a telephone call to the desk editor or news director. Business issues and the environment are “hot stories,” and local media are always looking for community news stories with a positive message. Nothing generates employee interest and enthusiasm like the opportunity to be on television!
• If you are holding a contest, post the rules, deadline and prizes. If you can, display the prize to build anticipation. Post sign-up reminders and use e-mail and other attention-getting tools to get employees involved.

Remember, these are suggestions only. Your EAP does not need to be complicated, but it does need regular communications to get it running. Are you going to hand out brochures or fact sheets, or publish articles in the company newsletter? It is up to you and your team to decide!

No matter what event or activity you choose, reminders are a must. Use e-mail, the intercom, your public address system, paycheque stuffers and other communications tools to remind your employees about the campaign and the kickoff event.