He believes the real trick will be monitoring the success of the training over a longer period and would like to implement a series of refresher courses in the future.

Drivers have to be aware that a lot of responsibility lies at their door in ensuring a vehicle is managed in an eco-friendly way. Yeoman suggests giving them incentives to go easier on the pedals and conserve their fuel.

“Bonuses or salary rises are an obvious choice for rewards, but they could also include material gifts – shopping vouchers or tickets to sporting events,” he says.

“However, managers must be careful the gifts aren’t detrimental to the environment and undo all their drivers’ efforts.”

David Nicholas, fleet consultant at the EST, agrees that driver behaviour is an important factor to consider when trying to reduce fuel spend.

He says some fleets have introduced policies that state drivers should buy their fuel from the cheapest outlets such as supermarkets rather than motorway service stations.

Vehicle swap

Changing vehicles to more fuel-efficient models is another option, but the initial cost could prove prohibitive.

But there are huge financial and environmental benefits to be gained as Colin Marriott, fleet general manager at British Gas, discovered.

In 2007 the company decided to cap the CO2 of its user chooser fleet at 200g/km in order to ‘incentivise’ drivers into more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles.

The company used a total cost of ownership methodology which set a benchmark based on a very cost-effective model; drivers were still free to choose other vehicles, but were heavily penalised for choices that veered from the benchmark.

“This produced a dramatic change within our fleet,” says Marriott. “We have seen average tailpipe emissions drop from 164g/km in 2007 to 146g/km today and we expect this to sink even lower as we are seeing a big take up of company cars producing 120g/km. We did this not by directly incentivising drivers, but by doing the reverse.

“It has been very well received and we have had no negative feedback.”

As a further perk to drivers British Gas uses a series of ‘green bays’: prime car parking spaces, painted green and located right next to the building.

“It’s a great incentive as many of our employees don’t want to be parking in overflow car parks.”

British Gas has also downsized some of its van to cars. A recent acquisition of 500 Seat Leon Ecomotives allowed the company to make an annual reduction of 764 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to around 200 private cars.

At the end of February British Gas will trial two Nissan Leaf electric vehicles which will be charged beneath a solar panel the size of a double garage.

This will not provide all the energy requirements of the vehicles, but it will feed into the company’s electrical network to offset the power used.

“We intend to be the leader in the use of electric-powered vehicles,” says Marriott.

“Of course, we realise that they will only suit certain users, but with this trial we can put bums on seats and let our drivers be as impressed as we were by this new technology.”

Tackle fuel payments

Another option for reducing fuel costs is to review the rate at which employees are reimbursed for fuel payments.

The advisory fuel rates (AFR) stand at 15p/mile for a 1401cc to 2000cc petrol engine model and 12p/mile for diesel vehicles of the same capacity.

However, the actual cost per mile of running the vehicle may be considerably less, according to Adrian Harris, group fleet manager of Pertemps.

“I have been saying for years that paying the AFR for fuel reimbursement is ridiculous,” he says. “It is a lazy way of calculating what to pay and it doesn’t benefit anyone in the end.”

Several years ago the company was running a fleet of 300 vehicles and paying around 9p/mile, according to Harris.

But when he calculated the actual rate it was found to be more like 6p/mile. By switching, the company saved around £70,000.

The secret to switching away from the AFR, says Harris, was in developing mileage management system MIDAS – something that the company now markets and sells to other fleets.

It makes the process of fuel management “fair to the employee and the employer”, he claims.

“Some companies spend a lot of time and money reducing their fleet’s CO2 emissions and making sure they have more efficient models, but then they reimburse fuel at the AFR so they are making a saving at one end only to lose it at the other.”

Alternatives to company cars

To reduce total business mileage as well as the overall carbon footprint all staff have a part to play in reducing their impact by choosing the option with the lowest CO2 emissions.

Staff and line managers should consider the following options before making a business journey.

• Is the journey necessary?
• Can video, internet or audio conferencing be used instead?
• Is public transport viable and effective? Public transport can be more efficient when taking into account the ability to work while travelling and the possibility of road delays.
• Is car sharing possible?
• What car should be used if public transport is not practical?
• Pool car: is a pool car available for use?
• Lease car.
• Hire car: usually more cost effective for journeys over 70 miles
• Can I use a casual car? This should be the last option after all other routes have been exhausted.

10 tips to more efficient driving

The European Petroleum Industry and the European Commission have joined forces to produce some efficient driving tips to help reduce fuel consumption and contribute to cleaner and safer lifestyles.

1. Keep your car well serviced and check the oil level regularly. Correctly maintained cars can operate more efficiently and help reduce CO2 emissions
2. Check your tyre pressure every month. Under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to 4%*
3. Remove unnecessary weight from your car. The heavier the car, the harder the engine has to work and the more fuel it consumes
4. Close your windows, especially at higher speeds, and remove empty roof racks. This will reduce wind resistance and can lower your fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10%**
5. Use air conditioning only when necessary. Unnecessary use increases fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 5%**
6. Start driving soon after starting the engine and turn off the engine when stationary for more than one minute. Modern engines enable you to just get in and go, thus reducing fuel consumption
7. Drive at reasonable speeds and above all, drive smoothly. Every time you accelerate or brake suddenly, your engine uses more fuel and produces more CO2
8. When accelerating, change up gears as early as possible. Higher gears are more economical in terms of fuel consumption**
9. Try to anticipate traffic flow. Look at the traffic as far ahead as possible in order to avoid unnecessary stopping and starting within the flow of traffic
10. Consider car sharing for work or leisure. You will help reduce congestion and fuel consumption

*International Energy Agency **European Commission
Source: www.savemorethanfuel.eu/uk.