Improving building efficiency to reduce carbon footprint

Why did they engage with DE-Carbonise

Terratrip was moving into new business premises and invited the DE-Carbonise team to survey the building and provide advice on how to improve the building so that energy bills and carbon footprint would be minimised from the start. As they produce electronic components, they already had a good understanding of their energy use.

The building was not new, so there were limitations to what could be done, particularly within the timescales of the move. Recommendations needed to be targeted and easy to implement. One major issue was heating, with 16 wall-mounted electric heaters, all individually controlled.

What has been the impact of working with DE-Carbonise?

Terratrip Ltd was already keen to upgrade the lighting to LED and advice from the visit indicated that fewer light fittings were needed in some areas while occupancy or daylight sensors could be used in others to switch lights off when not needed. In a few places, the DE-Carbonise team recommended moving light fittings so that the light was more evenly spread. Another company supported by the DE-Carbonise team had installed smart heating controls and Terratrip decided to use the same approach, dividing the unit into different zones where several heaters could be controlled by a single thermostat.

Without replacing the heaters, this is forecast to prevent heat being wasted at weekends and in the evenings, from heaters being left on. It also allows the company to track heat use remotely.

Finally, the company decided to install a small solar array on the south-facing roof. This was sized so that the output for most of the year would not be much higher than the baseload of the building (i.e., a high proportion of the electricity generated will be used on site).

The actions are forecast to save 2.5 tonnes of carbon per year and will give the company a well-controlled and efficient working environment.

Impact data

Annual Energy Saving (kWh): 10,799
Annual Carbon saving (KgCO₂e): 2,496
Annual Cost Saving: £1,476
Value of Grant: £4,338.49

Next Steps

The company is planning to install electric vehicle charging points, which can use some of the excess solar output in the summer months.

About DE-Carbonise

DE-Carbonise is a three year collaboration between the University of Derby, Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council, which started in November 2019. The collaboration is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and follows on from the successful D2 Energy Efficiency/Low Carbon project.

Get in contact with us

To find out about current support available for your business in reducing your environmental impact, or your journey to net-zero. Please get in contact with our business gateway team.

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