Councils’ solar partnership brings boost for first businesses in Eye
Over 250 solar panels were installed last month to the rooftops of sister companies Wrightfield and Wrightform at Mid Suffolk Business Park in Eye, as part of a new council scheme – offering businesses the opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and save on energy bills by signing up to have solar panels provided and installed on their premises for free.
Electricity generated by the panels is then sold to the business at a rate lower than their current tariff, helping to slash energy bills and improve their bottom line.
In its first month of operation, the installation has already generated 15,000kWh of renewable electricity and is on track to not only save the firms more than £10,000 in electricity bills in its first year, but also save up to 25 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Solar for Business has been running successfully in West Suffolk for more than nine years, but has only recently been extended, with Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils joining forces with West Suffolk Council to allow even more businesses to benefit.
Wrightfield Ltd, designers and specialist manufacturers of food conveyor systems, together with precision metal engineering company Wrightform Ltd, are the first local businesses in Mid Suffolk to sign up to the initiative.
As well as meeting our sustainability credentials, reducing our costs helps us to remain competitive in a sometimes-unpredictable marketplace. That’s great news for our long-term business success and for our customers.”
Climate change doesn’t recognise boundaries, so I’m delighted to be able to work with our neighbours at West Suffolk Council and Babergh District Council to deliver this pilot scheme in our district and look forward to seeing more local businesses reap the benefits.”
To be eligible, businesses must be within West Suffolk, Babergh or Mid Suffolk’s district boundaries, and must have a minimum electricity consumption of 5,000kWh per year. For a firm paying 25p/kWh this would mean electricity bills of around £1250 per year.
To find out more about the scheme, visit the Solar for Business page on the Mid Suffolk website, email the Solar for Business team or call 01284 757631.
