We saved over 44,000 kg of CO2 at our Northampton office

Our objective

Aiming for at least a 10% improvement in energy efficiency at our Northampton office, we were keen to prove that investment in sustainability can deliver a return.

Cutting energy consumption reduces overall energy demand, which in turn reduces any emissions linked to generation. We also wanted to use cleaner energy where we could, further cutting our carbon emissions, and to involve colleagues and embed sustainability into our ways of working.

The generation game

Our team considered the feasibility and likely impact of on-site generation that would allow us to produce our own power from renewable sources.

As a result, we installed almost 700 solar panels on the Northampton building’s roof. The panels started generating power instantly, reducing our reliance on grid electricity and helping to cut both our energy consumption and costs. We’re also able to export any excess power back to the grid, creating an extra revenue stream.

All charged up

Adopting electric vehicles (EVs) can help your organisation reduce its Scope 1 carbon emissions – those directly caused by your activities.

Based on this knowledge and our EV expertise, our team installed three EV charge stations in the Northampton office car park. Visitors and colleagues alike can use the stations – for free – to charge their own EVs.

Since our on-site solar panels power these charge stations, we can guarantee a truly carbon neutral charging infrastructure.

The results

Solar PV installation

• We installed almost 700 solar panels, covering 1141m2, on our roof
• In the first 8 months of generating electricity, we reduced the power drawn from the grid (imported energy) by 22%
• Our imported energy was 37% lower for January-July 2020

EV charging

• Our charge stations were used over 400 times in the first year
• The charge stations dispensed over 5 MWh of low carbon electricity

Other sustainability initiatives

• We saved over 80,000 sheets of paper thanks to more efficient printers and printing reduction initiatives
• We prevented over 40,000 non-recyclable crisp packets from going to landfill, by working with Terracycle
• We redirected seven tonnes of food waste from general disposal to anaerobic digestion (AD) to generate biogas – a cleaner, greener version of natural gas

How can your organisation benefit?

Making these changes at our Northampton office is one step on our sustainability journey. We can support yours too, by helping to cut your energy consumption and costs, and your carbon emissions.

To get on the fast track to net zero, get in touch.