UK manufacturer Harris Brushes has teamed up with Vickers Energy Group to reduce its energy consumption on site by 50%, saving £133,000 in the process.
The market leading decorating product manufacturer, based in Worcestershire, installed an advanced energy management system at its site in a bid to tackle carbon emissions and increase the priority of environmental concerns in the business.
Vickers installed the system in 2012 and within the first year energy consumption saw a reduction of 40% and in the second year this reduced further to 50%. Overall reduction on the site stands at over 2 million kWh.
The huge production site has 55 gas and oil fitted warm air heaters spread across a wide area, meaning controlling heating was difficult. Using the new sophisticated self-learning system, which regulates and monitors the temperatures throughout the buildings, the heaters now work to their optimum efficiency, minimising wastage.
Nick Chance from Harris Brushes said: “I couldn’t rate Vickers Energy higher. Harris Brushes is committed to the protection of the environment and we’ve been looking at ways to reduce more costs in the business and decided to have the energy management system installed. The system has enabled us to run the site far more efficiently and has cut our carbon emissions impact by 50% – a tremendous result.”
David Hilton from Vickers Energy Group said: “We’re really pleased with the results shown at the Harris Brushes site, which are a testament to the success of the system. The site was a challenge for us; with its 55 heaters the energy usage is a massive scale. We’ve worked closely with the team to ensure we tailored the system to their needs and that the demands of the business are met. The carbon footprint of the manufacturing industry is one of the largest in the UK and it’s great to see Harris Brushes leading the way in prioritising corporate social responsibility.”
Vickers has recently been awarded with the accolades of Energy Product of the Year from the prestigious Environment and Energy Awards 2014, a Gold Green Apple Award within their Energy Saving Category, Green Business of the Year at the Trafford Business Awards and is accredited by the Carbon Trust.
