6 minute read
How to make lasting cost-saving changes
www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability
DIPT, owner of ProTrade, used the grant for LED lights
Derby businesses are benefiting from carbon-saving grants
Companies across Derby have received grants to help cut their carbon emissions as part of the DE-Carbonise project.
The scheme provides eligible businesses with support to reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint.
Grants of between £1,000 and £20,000 are distributed by Derby City Council, covering up to 40% of the cost of energycutting measures if the carbon savings are high enough.
Chamber members DIPT Ltd, ASG Group, Choices Health Club and Tidyco are among those to have received funding towards improvements such as LED lighting, efficient heating systems, new machinery and solar panels.
DIPT Ltd, the company behind Protrade in Derby, invested in LED lighting with help from a previous grant scheme run by the team and is looking at further improvements with support from DE-Carbonise to install electric vehicle charging points.
Managing director Matt Bradshaw said: “We have set targets to continually lessen the impact of our group of companies on the environment and believe the key to continual improvement will be through raising awareness of the company’s desire to have as low an impact on the environment as is reasonably practicable.”
He said the grant funding for LED lighting had “significantly reduced” carbon emissions and effectively paid for itself within 18 months.
DE-Carbonise, previously known as the D2EE Low Carbon project, is a partnership between the University of Derby, Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council.
It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and runs until November 2022.
The team advises businesses on likely carbon savings and each step of the grant application process, as well as offering bespoke technical expertise and oversight of the decarbonisation initiatives.
For more information, SMEs in Derbyshire can contact Gemma Sylva on gemma.sylva@derby.gov.uk or complete an expression of interest form at www.derby.gov.uk/decarbonise For those familiar with the film Love Actually, there is a scene with Rowan Atkinson and Alan Rickman, where Alan’s character is shopping for a Christmas gift and does not want a gift bag. Rowan’s character replies: “This is so much more than a bag.”
The act of switching off the lights when we leave the office, the factory or the warehouse is just cost-saving, right? No. It is so much more than that.
In a world where we are becoming more aware of where our goods and services are sourced, how we handle our energy consumption should be no different.
It could be said that if the energy is from renewable sources, then leaving the light on doesn’t matter.
One could argue this case, but in essence it is this same argument that ends with litter on the streets, careless waste disposal and polluted waterways. This, therefore, is about behavioural change and a willingness to focus on the operation.
In any business, the operation will involve energy usage and any opportunity to reduce this will lead to cost savings. It will also reduce the carbon footprint, and the approach can be extended beyond light switches to consider other aspects of the business. These can include, but are not limited to: • Energy – renewables and heat recovery • Building energy management – heating and cooling • Transport – modal shift and electric vehicles • Product and process – manufacturing and end-of-life management
How to make lasting cost-saving changes
Businesses will eventually play a major part in helping the UK to achieve net zero by 2050, but there’s already plenty of ingenious ways that SMEs can make a significant difference – not only to reducing the environmental impact of their operations, but cutting costs too. Dr Gary Wright (pictured), senior researcher in low-carbon technology at the University of Derby and a member of the DE-Carbonise business support programme, explains.
PRACTICAL STEPS FOR BUSINESS
Over the past year, the University of Derby and councils have worked with businesses on the DECarbonise project to identify areas that can practically reduce energy consumption and, therefore, their carbon footprint. These include some areas where the potential carbon savings have been quantified.
Energy
• Installing solar panels or solar thermal • Investing in a biomass boiler could result in significant CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) savings as this has been described as carbonneutral
Building energy management
• Investing in better insulation and more efficient lighting to save more than two tonnes of CO2e per annum • Investing in new, more efficient boilers and retrofitting your business premises could result in CO2e savings of 10% to 40% of energy use
Transportation
• Repurposing your business travel routes could result in a CO2e saving of hundreds of tonnes per annum • Driving around 2,000 miles equates to 550kg of CO2e based on a medium-sized car. Moving to an electric vehicle can reduce this by more than 95%
Product and process
• Investments in new and more efficient equipment and machinery could result in about five tonnes of CO2e saving, based on changing a single step in the manufacturing process • Replacement of an existing compressed air system and heat recovery has seen about eight tonnes of CO2e saved per annum.
The areas outlined above start with the practical first step of gathering or measuring data. Based on the data, a baseline carbon footprint can be established, and any proposed changes can be quantified from there.
What are you waiting for?
College opts for renewable energy
Two of the newest buildings at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) are now powered by biomass boilers in a move that will reduce their carbon footprint.
The clean energy system has been installed at the Hinckley and Wigston campuses and follows the launch of a plan by the college to address its environmental impact.
The biomass fuel is created from wood chips, plant materials and other organic matter. This type of fuel removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows and stores it in soil, plants and trees.
Biomass currently represents about 11% of all renewable energy in the UK and saves emissions equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the road.
Marion Plant OBE, principal and chief executive of NWSLC, said: “We all have a responsibility to help the UK meet its target to bring greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
“The college has risen to the challenge, and has put in place a robust sustainability policy and a rigorous plan that will transform the way we operate at all our campuses.
“We welcome the move to using biomass fuels to power our Wigston and Hinckley campuses as part of our efforts to reduce the college’s carbon footprint.
“The activities set out in our development plan will help to make a significant contribution to our own green agenda while also simultaneously contributing to wider UK and global goals, and to educate our students.”
About 12,000 students are enrolled at NWSLC across six campuses. The Wigston Campus opened in 2010 and its creative arts Hinckley Campus was launched the following year.
Both buildings were constructed to maximise energy efficiency and their design also makes use of natural daylight, creating an engaging and spacious learning environment.
The use of biomass fuels, which will reduce the college’s consumption of gas, is part of a wider sustainable development action plan.
This will include opportunities for students to develop their environmental credentials by taking part in a student green council and working with local community organisations on environmental volunteering opportunities.
Other ongoing sustainability measures at the college include reducing single-use plastic consumption and a target for zero waste sent to landfill. Further planned improvements include LED and sensor-controlled lighting, a more efficient building management system and more recycling bins, while the college has also committed to replacing its vehicles with electric or hybrid alternatives as leases expire.
