News

For anyone who fancies taking a trip to a green wonderland, it might be worth paying large-format and point-of-sale specialist Capital a visit. The east London-based firm has now been in its new home for 10 months and it boasts a host of energy-efficient features: solar water heating, rainwater harvesting and natural ventilation, to name a few.

“We can show the industry things that would blow its mind,” claims Rav Gill, general manager at Capital. His upbeat assessment may be biased, but his company is comfortably meeting its emissions targets with others following suit. Many firms have picked up ISO 14001 certification, but a few want to go that extra bit further. Renewable energy, and aiming to save energy throughout a business is one way.

“Switching to renewable energy is becoming increasingly easy, mainly because there are more suppliers out there than 18 months ago,” explains James Deacon, head of corporate social responsibility at Ricoh UK.

Businesses are being encouraged by the government and agencies to invest in green energy, which is hardly
surprising considering the UK is aiming for a 10% reduction in its carbon emissions by 2012. Looking further into the future, the government wants this reduced by 60% by 2050. With global warming at the forefront of everyone’s mind, all buildings now need to be 20-28% more efficient than they were in 2002.

Capital was lucky. As it had to move from its previous site to make way for the London Olympic park, it could move to its t new site with financing from the London Development Agency (LDA). The Capital building has a BRE Environmental Assessment Method rating of ‘very good’, meaning that it comfortably exceeds the government’s carbon emission reduction aims: the new site does this by 12%, more than the 10% target for 2012 (as the thermal image on the previous page demonstrates).

“We are very proud of the riverside site,” says Gill. “Visitors have said that they’ve never been to a greener factory.”
There are several clever features at the site. Electricity is produced in a ‘photovoltaic’ way, meaning it is generated through light. Capital has installed extensive PV cells with at least two layers of semi-conductors. When light shines on the semi-conductor, the electric field across the junction between the two layers causes electricity to flow.

A ground source heat recovery pump in the company’s warehouse extracts low grade heat from the ground, converting it to a higher temperature and releasing it for water heating. The pump can also be reversed for cooling purposes.

“Our energy and water bills have come down by a third in the first 10 months,” says Gill. “This has actually helped us win new contracts. Before the new site, we could put our environmental credentials on an A4 page. Now it is the size of a catalogue.”

With more print buyers under pressure to source environmentally friendly print, having a factory such as Capital’s that incorporates greener energy could be advantageous. Another London company, McKenzie Clark, has also benefited from a new site and a radical approach to generating energy.

Last April, the large-format firm moved into a new 2,200m² site in Peckham, south-east London. What makes it unique is its lack of a traditional air conditioning system. An ‘evaporative cooling system’ was installed, with three large coolers placed on the outside of the building. This system recycles the water used at the site and uses less energy. It’s also given the interior a unique look: bulging tubes are attached to the ceiling, giving the impression the building has been taken over by giant orange caterpillars.

Specialist system
“This technology has been used in other countries for some time, but is new to the UK,” explains McKenzie Clark managing director Graham Clark. “It has the advantage of using just 10% of the electricity required by air conditioning, and emits no greenhouse gasses. It also controls humidity and creates an environment ideal for many print processes.”

McKenzie Clark linked up with specialist installation company Harry Taylor to design and install the system. The cost was almost identical to an equivalent air conditioning installation, but the eco advantages meant that the company gained a grant from the Carbon Trust.

“The process of winning the grant is fairly complex. You have to submit detailed calculations showing the energy saved compared with current or equivalent air conditioning systems,” adds Clark. “The reward is, however, worthwhile, with a tax-efficient interest-free loan given.”

Alongside the cooling system, the building also has energy saving features such as light sensors and a centralised switching system to turn off all appliances when out of use. The site also has a high level of insulation, now a requirement in all new buildings.

But these examples might be somewhat beyond many print firms’ budgets and both come with words of warning: going this green requires a lot of investment and is time consuming. It might be impressive, but it is expensive to completely revamp your energy strategy.

Thinking long-term
“Green energy can be purchased from your utility supplier and this will dramatically lower your carbon footprint,” says Clark. “It is, however, more expensive and few printers will be able to pass on these increased costs to their customers.”

“It is not cheap to install the equipment,” adds Capital’s Gill. “A company would have to spend millions and at this moment in time many printers are being squeezed on price. It can save you money in the long term but it does mean investing. It is all about supply and demand: as more take an interest in energy saving equipment the cost will come down.”

Paper merchant Robert Horne is one company that has looked into on-site renewable energy but doesn’t consider it financially viable at the moment. According to Tim Barker, Robert Horne environmental manager, the company is monitoring developments in technology and costs but may look to invest in greener energy in the future.

“In the meantime we’re focusing on energy efficiency initiatives such as improvements to lighting systems,” he adds. “While not as high profile, we believe these provide a more effective return on investment that will help us meet our public commitment to reduce the group’s carbon footprint by 20%.”

Ricoh’s Deacon adds there are not just cost barriers. “The length of the current commercial supply contract tends to be [a barrier]. Often a company is locked into supply contracts for a long time and they are hard to break, making it difficult to switch to a green supplier. However, once this is achieved, switching doesn’t have to be a big hassle.”

And sometimes it’s the small changes that can make a big difference. Saving energy on lighting is one initiative that might not seem a grand gesture but it can go a long way towards saving money. “Both the associated costs and level of disruption really depend on how far into greenness you want to go,” says Deacon. “Companies need to consider that there will be a cost but they should also realise that they will see savings. For example, energy saving light bulbs cost more money to buy but are cheaper to run. Being green doesn’t have to cost you money in the long run.”

Deacon advises any firm serious about switching to greener energy to shop around, as prices are beginning to come down with many more wind turbines and solar panels available. “Return on investment concerns are no longer as scary, since companies now have more of a chance of getting a reasonable initial price,” he says. “In the long run they will be able to show not just an ethical saving but also a financial one, since the cost benefits associated with generating your own energy are becoming increasingly attractive.”

That’s the incentive for going down the green energy route – at some point down the line it will save you money, while also helping the planet. Not every company can afford the hi-tech approach adopted by McKenzie Clark and Capital but it’s an area worth exploring – you might get some help on the funding front and it could prove to be less expensive than you might think.

---

TOP TIPS: GREEN ENERGY
• Shop around to see what energy suppliers are offering on the renewable energy front. The number of different options has gone up over the last few months
• You might get some financial help in your quest to go green. Check out the local Business Link (www.businesslink.gov.uk) or the government agency Envirowise (www.envirowise.gov.uk) which can give free, confidential on-site reviews. McKenzie Clark received financial help from the Carbon Trust while another source of funding could be your regional development agency
• You don’t have to think big to make a difference. Energy saving light bulbs can be an inexpensive start – they may cost a bit more than the energy zapping bulbs but it’s those long-term savings that will help your business