Sustainability

The Road to Paperless:

One of the most straightforward ways to reduce our environmental footprint is by minimising paper use. Where we can, we’ve adopted digital systems across our business, ensuring that our invoices, receipts, communications, and records are predominantly handled electronically.

We have moved away from paper Annual Service Reminder letters, and now send roughly 90% of our Service Reminders by email or phone call.
The Job Sheets left behind after our engineers have completed works for a customer will cease in the near future. We’ve got a few months worth of job sheets left to get through, which should allow us enough time to select and initiate our new digital system. Not only will this reduce our paper waste, but it will also streamline our internal processes, making us more efficient and eco-friendly.

Having been in operation for almost 30 Years now, we are very aware that some of our customers cannot or do not use the internet. For this reason, we do not have plans to completely eradicate paper or postage – 99% reduction will do…!

We currently take an awful lot of payments via the card machine, which prints at least one paper receipt per transaction. In the upcoming year, we are changing our current payment system to a paperless option. Customers will have the option of having a text or email receipt.

Reducing Deliveries:

We work closely with our suppliers to reduce the number of deliveries made to our showroom. By consolidating shipments and optimising delivery schedules, we have drastically cut down on transportation emissions and fuel consumption, as well as traffic congestion in our local area. We order stock well in advance, and have multiple customers’ goods arriving together.

Energy-Efficient Showroom and Displays:

In line with our commitment to reducing our energy consumption, we have ensured that our new showroom and stores are fully equipped with energy-efficient LED lighting, which provides up to 90% energy savings compares to traditional halogen lighting. Additionally, we have installed a highly efficient pellet stove to heat our showroom and office, further reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. We have carefully selected the pellets that we: our pellets provide 4800 KWh per tonne, are produced from 100% UK-sourced ‘Forest Standard’ accredited sustainable timber, and include logs unsuitable for other uses.

Sustainable Products:

Over the years, we have fine-tuned our product selection, ensuring that we offer only the most sustainable options to our customers. We strive to exclusively offer products from manufacturers who provide exceptional warranties, reducing waste from prematurely discarded products. Additionally, we offer an in-house repair service on all products we sell, to extend the life of your item.

Over recent years, we have pivoted away from any low-efficiency products and champion only the highest of efficiencies. Not only is this better for the environment, but it’s better for your pocket too!

Elsewhere, many of the manufacturers we partner with now avoid plastic packaging altogether, further minimising the environmental impact of our product offerings.

Electric Pool Car:

In our continued effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we have taken on an electric car (EV) as our company pool car for all employees. This vehicle is used for quick deliveries, dropping parts to site, and travel to work.

Moving Towards Solar Energy:

As part of our long-term sustainability goals, we intend to begin the process of installing solar panels on the roof of our showroom. This will likely be a multi-stage operation, to spread the investment over a couple of years, but will reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy sources, lower our energy costs, and reduce our carbon footprint. This transition to solar energy is a key step in our journey towards net-zero emissions, and we are very excited about the potential benefits it will bring!

On-Site EV Charging:

In line with our goal to support sustainable travel, we are planning to install on-site electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for our customers. This initiative will encourage and enable our customers to travel to us using their own EVs, knowing they are able to charge their vehicle while they visit. By providing this service, we aim to promote the use of electric vehicles and further reduce carbon emissions in our local community.

Rain Water Harvesting:

As part of our dedication to reducing water consumption and environmental impact, we are scheduled to launch a rainwater harvesting project in 2025-2026, collecting and storing the rainfall onto our showroom roof. The collected rainwater will be used to feed the toilets on-site, significantly reducing our reliance on mains water for non-potable purposes. This project is an important step in our efforts to conserve resources and operate more sustainably.

EV Work Fleet:

With the retirement of vans in our work fleet, we are actively searching for a suitable electric vehicle (EV) to replace them. Currently, there is not a suitable alternative on the market to meet our needs weight and size-wise. We are closely monitoring the market for short-wheelbase, high-roof EVs, and plan to make the switch to EV once an appropriate vehicle is launched.

Planning of Jobs to Reduce Travel Times and Distances:

To further minimise our carbon footprint, we are implementing strategies to optimise the planning of our jobs. In certain cases, we will reschedule jobs to reduce travel distances and times, thereby decreasing fuel consumption and road congestion. Additionally, fewer road miles will reduce wear and tear on our vehicles, further contributing to long-term sustainability.