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.

Electric mini diggers drive a 70% reduction in service costs

In 2019 Electricity North West became the region’s first company to purchase two state-of-the-art electric mini diggers. At £33,250, the diggers are more expensive than their traditional counterparts, but electricity running costs are significantly lower at £811 a year, compared to £1,090 in diesel costs.

Each vehicle has reduced our carbon emissions by 64 tonnes CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) a year which is valued at £32,090 using the BEIS value of CO₂ equivalent. Servicing costs for the diggers are up to 70% lower and they can be fully charged in two hours. Find out more.

Carbon neutral depots realise a 28% return on investment

Starting with our training academy in Blackburn, our aim is to transform our estate to be as energy efficient as possible, and to install onsite generation to meet most of our own energy demand.

The first step was to implement tools and systems to monitor and evaluate how much energy was being used at the depot. Having reduced consumption as far as possible, the final step is to install 788m² of solar panels which are expected to pay for themselves within eight years.

The cost to implement the various initiatives at our Blackburn site is £696,000, saving £21,000 per annum in energy bills (based on today’s prices) and 53 tCO₂e. Over 25 years, we can demonstrate a 28% return on investment. Find out more.

To find out more about cutting energy bills for your business, take a look at the information below or download our guide.

A guide to reducing carbon emissions for manufacturing and warehouses