of performance, enabling cost savings to be calculated as well as the reduction in carbon emissions. “Depot managers take regular readings of the meter attached to the inverter and they all take a keen interest in evaluating our environmental performance. An on-line program also shows the data and we can access it on a smartphone or other mobile device.
“The panels have a guaranteed life of 20 years, although they are expected to last for at least 25, and we anticipate that they will have paid for themselves completely within six.”
The company is exploring other ways of improving its carbon footprint, including the use of low-energy LED lights throughout buildings and the use of PIR (passive infra-red) sensors in washrooms to switch off lights automatically after a certain time if no-one is detected in the area.
Vehicle fleet enhancements
Measures are also being taken to increase the environmental friendliness of the Charles Wilson transport fleet. “Twenty percent
The installations should pay for themselves within six years.
of our cars are now either hybrid or electrically powered models, and most of these have a CO2 rating of less than 50g/km,” said Mark Wilson. “To reduce fuel consumption, all new vans since 2017 have been fitted with speed limiters and all our commercial vehicles have telematics systems that track driver performance, speed, acceleration, braking, idling time and other parameters so that good driving habits can be promoted. In addition, all new dropside vehicles have ‘super single’ rear tyres to reduce drag and wear and tear, to improve fuel economy and to reduce pollution. We have also recently bought ten new Eco 6 Sprinter vans for deliveries within the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ), as well as new Eco 6 crane trucks to replace older Euro 4 and Euro 5 models.”
This year sees Charles Wilson Engineers celebrating its 40th anniversary and the business, which prides itself on being able to supply “everything from a 21m telehandler to a 1/2in drill”, continues to expand. The recently opened Newcastle depot, for example, is already attracting customers in Scotland, and the company says that more depots could be opened in the future. If so, its solar panel footprint will no doubt increase.
• Newcastle was the first depot to have panels fitted.
www.cwplant.co.uk
11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
