Energy company takes a leaf out of its own book
ENERGY provider npower has taken a leaf out of its own book and gone green to help reduce its power usage.
The firm’s three-storey offices at Burntwood Business Park in Staffordshire have been equipped with 54 solar photovoltaic panels.
The office is home to 100 employees and with 196 light fittings, 96 computers and six printers in constant use throughout the day, the building uses a lot of energy.
The panels generate 11 Kwh of electricity and offset more than six tonnes of carbon each year. Being able to use electricity as it is generated onsite has also saved the business more than £1,500 on energy bills.
The solar panels generate all the electricity needed, and the building owner, J E Dillon Properties, also receives Feed-in-Tariff payments from the government. FITs offer landlords or residents who have had solar panels installed payment for every unit of electricity generated, regardless of whether it is used onsite or not. If the electricity is not used, it can be exported back to the grid generating additional payment*.
Helen Booker, solar expert for npower, said: “The npower office in Burntwood is perfectly suited to solar panels, as it has a large south-facing roof which is not shadowed by larger buildings nearby. Also, because it is in constant use throughout the day, all the electricity generated can be used onsite, making the system incredibly efficient.
“We were really pleased that our landlord decided to install solar PV panels on npower’s offices. Now we are benefitting from significant money and carbon savings.
“Clearly, businesses have an important role to play in helping the government meet its carbon reduction targets and using renewable energy technology such as solar PV is a positive step towards this.”
