WEATHERITE WARMS UP TO SOLAR TO REDUCE CARBON FOOTRPINT AND SPIRALLING ENERGY COSTS

Weatherite Group has implemented a considerable investment which will significantly reduce its carbon footprint.

The project has commenced with the application to the National Grid for permissions for all its four commercial premises which will take 12-14 weeks to complete.

After successful permissions, installation of Phase 1 at Weatherite’s 150,000 sq ft main factory will commence in May 2023 with 1,080, 450-watt, solar panels.

The project was investigated early in 2022 when Weatherite’s electricity contract expired at a rate of 12p kw/hr and commenced the next day at 68p kw/hr – a huge price rise.

But the good news is that the new installation will generate electricity at 4p/kw/hr AND save the equivalent of 105 tons of carbon every year of its 30-year life expectancy.

The original design and number of solar panels was increased to enable the excess to be sold back to the grid and thereby improving the grid’s efficiency. The initial project will have a payback of only 1.8 years and on successful completion will be followed by Phase 2 for Unit 12.

‘‘We’ve been seriously considering installing solar panels for some time, but when our electricity bill arrived in the last quarter of last year, the decision was made immediately’’, says Chairman, John Whitehouse.

“As a manufacturer, reducing our carbon footprint is at the forefront of our business, and this is a great way we can reduce our impact on the environment and economise at the same time.”

Completion of all phases of the project will cost circa £1M and could potentially save 125 tonnes of carbon per year, generating nearly a gigawatt of electricity every year, which potentially could save 6,750 tonnes of Carbon over the expected life of the system.