After steeply rising consumable costs and supply chain disruptions making paper scarce as well as expensive, printers must brace themselves for a huge increase in the cost of energy. Only those that have locked into fixed price deals can feel confident, at least for the duration of the contract. Others will have to cope.
While governments point the blame elsewhere – global demand, shortage of capacity in production and storage – in reality a price rise will help them. There is an increased tax take on energy company profits and VAT as well as the possibility of a windfall tax on unearned profits to replenish the Covid depleted exchequer. And higher prices may be followed by reduced demand or an accelerated shift to renewables, thus helping to cut carbon emissions to comply with Cop pledges.
For print the situation opens up a further point of difference between those running the latest machines and those with technology from a previous generation where drying systems were not as effective as they are now. We are going to hear more about energy savings from switching from two or three presses to one, from running an SRA1 press, from using LED UV, and taking energy into as much consideration as speed through the press for both litho and digital technologies. Perhaps it’s time for energy labels akin to those for a washing machine or fridge. Energy measurement can in the end only be a good thing as it helps ensure that print remains viable in an energy obsessed future.
Energy is about to take centre stage
After steeply rising consumable costs and supply chain disruptions making paper scarce as well as expensive, printers must brace themselves for a huge increase in the cost of energy. Only those that have locked into fixed price deals can feel confident, at least for the duration of the contract. Others will have to cope.
While governments point the blame elsewhere – global demand, shortage of capacity in production and storage – in reality a price rise will help them. There is an increased tax take on energy company profits and VAT as well as the possibility of a windfall tax on unearned profits to replenish the Covid depleted exchequer. And higher prices may be followed by reduced demand or an accelerated shift to renewables, thus helping to cut carbon emissions to comply with Cop pledges.
For print the situation opens up a further point of difference between those running the latest machines and those with technology from a previous generation where drying systems were not as effective as they are now. We are going to hear more about energy savings from switching from two or three presses to one, from running an SRA1 press, from using LED UV, and taking energy into as much consideration as speed through the press for both litho and digital technologies. Perhaps it’s time for energy labels akin to those for a washing machine or fridge. Energy measurement can in the end only be a good thing as it helps ensure that print remains viable in an energy obsessed future.
Gareth Ward
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