Manufacturing and warehouses

Large buildings such as warehouses or factories can be challenging to heat and make energy efficient, particularly if they have open entrances. However, increasing the thickness of insulation in the walls and roof of your building could significantly reduce your energy bills.

Below we have calculated the top four actions that will enable a warehouse to reduce carbon emissions by up to 24-34%.

What manufacturing and warehouses can do to reduce carbon emissions by up to 24-34%

• Replace lighting with LEDs and fit motion sensors
• Replace space heaters with infrared heaters
• Install solar panels and charge equipment during the day
• Electrify onsite transport and fit electric vehicle charge points.

Rochdale-based manufacturer reduces energy consumption by 75%

Crystal Doors is very focused on sustainability and aims to be carbon neutral by 2022, having won several awards for its green initiatives. Since 2015 the company has installed intelligent LED lighting, solar panels, a biomass burner and has switched to electric vehicles.

Working with Perfect Sense Energy, the company installed LED lighting at a cost of £15,000 which has provided a two-year return on investment and saved 35,000kWh a year. An investment of £160,000 to install solar panels means the company can generate most of its own energy, the cost of which will be paid back after six years. Together the LED lighting and solar panel systems save £22,400 per annum in energy bills and 114 tonnes of CO₂.

Yorkshire-based mill installs solar panels and slashes energy bills

Working with supplier Energy Gain UK, Marton Mills, a weaving mill in West Yorkshire, has installed solar panels, enabling them to significantly reduce their running costs and their carbon footprint.

The system generates around 56,000 KWh of electricity per annum and has provided a saving of around 60% in energy bills and over 27,000 tonnes of carbon.

Solar energy to power depots and substations

Starting with our training academy in Blackburn, our aim is to achieve net zero carbon by transforming our estate to be as energy efficient as possible, and to use a combination of on-site and off-site generation to meet our energy demand.

We have installed a hybrid roof-mounted solar PV system at our Blackburn depot at multiple locations, which together generate around 39,260 kWh of electricity and avoid 7.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent a year.

Our plan is to continue with our solar installation at Blackburn and the nearby training academy to include three additional roof-mounted systems and solar car ports which will make the training academy site net zero. Once complete we expect to generate 124,663kWh of electricity a year which will avoid 24.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Find out more.

To find out more about cutting energy bills for your business, download our guide.

A guide to reducing carbon emissions for manufacturing and warehouses