Manufacturing firm’s new technology lowers energy costs
A Black Country business has purchased a new energy saving air compressor thanks to a £5,000 Low Carbon Workspaces grant, bringing estimated electricity savings of £8,600 a year.
Midtherm Laser’s old Alup Largo compressor was reaching the end of its life cycle, so the decision was made to invest in a modern, state of the art compressor that would help to alleviate the energy costs that were cutting into their bottom line.
A £5,000 Low Carbon Workspaces grant helped the Dudley-based business purchase a new Allegro compressor that came with a variable speed drive, recommended for both the savings to running costs and the added control it gives the user over electricity consumption.
Midtherm Laser use 5 Bystronic CNC laser cutting machines with which they produce laser cut profiles of just a few millimetres. Precision manufacturing is an energy intensive industry, meaning there are great savings to be made by implementing the right technology.
The savings Midtherm Laser expect to make can be measured financially (£8,600 per year), energy-wise (87,000 kWh per year) and from an environmental standpoint (31.5 tonnes of CO2e per year).
Dean Cockayne, operations director at Midtherm Laser, was happy with the grant funding and the work undertaken, saying: “Our original air compressor was coming to the end of its life cycle. Numerous costly repairs had been carried out and we felt it would be a good time to embrace the latest compressor technology. This will give us the benefit of reliability, and we will also benefit financially from reduced electricity running costs.”
This project demonstrates that the grant can not only be applied to more traditional energy saving projects, such as efficient lighting or heating, but also to other aspects of a business’s energy consumption.
Small and medium-sized manufacturers have experienced increases averaging 25% in the past seven years on their electricity bills, with the trend showing no signs of slowing down. Midtherm Laser’s project isn’t just designed to protect the business in the present, but to also future proof against inevitable energy price rises moving forward.
Daniel Cope, project officer for Low Carbon Workspaces in the Black Country, said: “Manufacturing in the West Midlands is a major driver of the UK economy. In order to maintain that competitive edge, it’s important for businesses to keep a handle on their costs. The Low Carbon Workspaces grant is designed to give companies financial support to reduce their operating costs and carbon footprint. Midtherm Laser are not only benefiting from the energy savings, they’re also making a positive impact towards environmental responsibility.”
The Low Carbon Workspaces funding comes via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is delivered by Ngage Solutions in partnership with Black Country Growth Hub.
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