Case Studies - Voltis - Intelligent Power Saving

Littlewood Fencing

In the first five months that Voltis was installed, Littlewood's power usage dropped by 25% (almost 21,000 KWH) compared with the previous year

Littlewood Fencing has benefited in two major ways from the installation of the Voltis energy saving system.

For not only has the fencing and barrier specialist seen electricity usage drop by 20% or more, it has also boosted the company's environmental credentials, providing an additional competitive edge when tendering for business, as compliance manager Mike Bulmer explained.

"Increasingly clients, especially those working on large public and private sector contracts, want to know what steps our business - as their potential supply partner - has taken to improve its environmental performance. It is an increasingly important part of the specification process and the installation of the Voltis system is a clear demonstration of our commitment to environmental excellence. Importantly, Voltis is targeted to save us 40 tonnes of CO2 per year." said Mr Bulmer.

In the first five months that Voltis was installed, Littlewood's power usage dropped by 25% (almost 21,000 KWH) compared with the previous year. That's an average monthly power saving of more than 4,000 KWH. Maximum load has fallen by more than 11% and is now running at approximately 44, compared to a high of 69 in 2008. These figures point towards the company reducing monthly power bills by as much as £500 over the winter months.

For this return, Littlewood Fencing invested some £15,000 in a variety of energy saving measures. These include the Voltis system plus low energy lamps and passive infra-red switches throughout its offices. The business took advantage of an interest-free Carbon Trust loan to help fund the improvements.

"I think it has been a good investment and it is a really good system" said Mr Bulmer.

"We will really see the benefits when we start to move into the winter, when we envisage we will probably be saving up to £400 or £500 per month."

Littlewood Fencing employs some 130 people throughout the UK and has an annual turnover of £10.4 million.