A leading renewable energy company has won a series of commercial contracts as businesses and organisations increasingly look at energy efficient solutions. 

Eco Environments, which has offices across the UK, has just completed solar installations for leading North East motor dealership Blackshaws and Lancashire air filter manufacturer Westbury Filtermation. 

The company, which has its head office in Liverpool, has also completed a number of solar installations for schools, hospitals and local authorities as its Commercial division goes from strength to strength. 

Nissan and Suzuki dealer Blackshaws, based in Alnwick, Northumberland, decided to take action after discovering it was spending more than £30,000 a year on electricity. 

The company, which is more than 90 years old, has had a 30kWh solar PV system installed at its site on Lionheart Enterprise Park. The installation by Eco Environments consisted of 122 Hyundai solar panels. 

The total payback over 25 years is expected to be around £460,000 while the annual Co2 saving will be more than 12,000kg. 

David Blackshaw, Managing Director of Blackshaws, said: “The Eco Environments team did a fantastic job in the face of horrendous winds to get us installed. 

“A survey was done on our lighting consumption which revealed that we could make savings over three or four years of as much as 25 per cent. 

“We see it as a very good financial investment which will also significantly reduce our carbon footprint over the coming years. It is great to know we now make money even when we aren’t open for business and we are excited about the full potential of the panels when the sun comes out!” 

Burnley-based Westbury Filtermation, which manufactures air filters, uses large amounts of electricity during its production process. 

Andrew Parker, Managing Director of Westbury Filtermation, brought in Eco Environments to help make the firm an industry leader in cutting carbon emissions. 

Eco Environments installed a 50kW solar array – consisting of 204 Hyundai solar panels – after winning a competitive tender with several solar companies. 

Andrew Parker said: “Eco Environments completed a detailed review and presented the substantial savings that could be achieved to electricity bills and Co2 emissions, as well as demonstrating the amount of income we could receive from the feed-in-tariff incentives. 

“We were very impressed by the company’s extensive industry knowledge and customer recommendations as well as the added value it brought to the project.” 

Westbury Filtermation will reduce its carbon emissions by 22.5 tons a year and save almost £3,500 a year on electricity bills.  The company estimates it will see an average annual return on investment of 27 per cent. 

Meanwhile, Ilkeston Hospital in Derbyshire has gone ahead with a 50kW solar array consisting of 212 Sanyo panels. The busy community hospital took action to help combat the cost of the huge electricity demand required to look after thousands of patients on a daily basis. Ilkeston expects to save almost £5500 on electricity bills, increasing year-in-year, with an estimated minimum annual return on investment of 16.5 per cent. 

David Hunt, sales and marketing director at Eco Environments, said: “An ever growing number of businesses and other organisations with significant energy consumption are choosing to invest in a range of renewable energy technologies. 

“Businesses can receive substantial returns on their investment, with Westbury’s being particularly eye-watering, combined with huge savings to their carbon footprint. 

“Blackshaws and Westbury are ideal customers because they understand the importance and significant benefits of developing a comprehensive environmental strategy. The need to find energy efficient solutions is increasingly at the top of commercial organisations’ agendas.”