Litton Property Group is an East Midlands-based property development and investment company that specialise in the retail and leisure, regeneration, and business use sectors. Their diverse portfolio is made up of retained developments and sites acquired for long-term redevelopment and asset management.
Providing the highest levels of service and being a responsible landlord to their occupiers are high on the agenda for Director of Asset Management, Sophie Waite. This includes ensuring energy costs are managed effectively whilst considering any wider environmental impacts.
Sophie wanted to understand what carbon and energy savings opportunities there were across one of their multi-use commercial sites and what investment costs would be needed to achieve them.
Energy Manager, Jason Martin visited a site in Bakewell which consists of circa 100,000 sq.ft of business space. The Business Park has a wide and varied mix of tenants ranging from large companies like Thornbridge Brewery, through to small independent traders including joiners, artisan bakers, and The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Bakery. There is also consent to develop a further 78,000sq.ft of space plus a 72-bedroom hotel.
Jason evaluated the buildings, equipment, and operations across the site which uncovered some of the biggest energy-saving opportunities at the brewery and bakery because of their high energy use.
Part of the review also included the analysis of energy data and future forecasts to look for any waste reduction opportunities.
The in-depth report generated from the survey highlighted over 27 tons of carbon savings per year if all proposed investments were made, with £60,000 savings every year after a 2.2 year payback period. As energy prices continue to fluctuate the return could be even quicker.
Sophie has since used the findings from this report to develop a robust energy management plan that will provide the best return on investment. This will also feed into a wider Net Zero plan for the business.
Sophie from Litton comments:
We’ve worked with Professional Energy Purchasing for many years, specifically on site installations and energy procurement for our developments. With energy costs spiralling and a real drive within Litton to play a positive role in the climate crisis, I felt it was the right time to start to look at efficiency and renewable solutions. Jason has been incredibly helpful with this, undertaking a thorough review of our Bakewell site and producing a detailed report that we can start to plan around. We hope to carry out a similar audit for all our sites within the portfolio and take a proactive approach to energy management going forwards.
As a result of the audit we have installed 370 solar panels over two roofs, with a further 288 panels being installed as part of the construction programme for the next building which is set for completion this autumn. Several other suggestions have been made to alter lighting, air conditioning and tenants’ plant and machinery which have been shared with our tenants for their consideration. Next step is to look at on-site electric vehicle charging stations to benefit our colleagues, occupiers and visitors.
Get in touch for your free initial energy consultation.
0114 327 2645