Solar reduces grid reliance by almost 50 per cent for north western manufacturer

Air Handlers Northern (AHN) approached the Green Economy team in November 2022 for support sourcing a solar installation partner for part of their decarbonisation and energy efficiency strategy. As manufacturers, AHN were keen to improve the energy efficiency measures within their operation while reducing their reliance on the grid.  

Introductions sped up the learning process 

After establishing AHN’s project requirements, Priya Sirpal, Green Economy Business Advisor, shared an expression of interest with Green Economy’s membership, comprised of green technologies and services firms. Priya arranged face-to-face introductions and consultations with three organisations who specialise in solar installation; of those three, Mark Higgitt, commercial director at AHN, decided that KAST Renewable Energy were the best fit.  
 
“We’ve been a member of Green Economy for a number of years,” explains Stephen Dootson, commercial director of KAST. “Because we’re a part of their Marketplace we get notifications about sales opportunities, and we saw a good opportunity with AHN. We applied, were introduced and shortlisted, and moved on to the feasibility study.”  
 
“Being introduced to the experts directly and in-person sped up the learning process and sharing of knowledge,” said Mark as we visited AHN’s Salford warehouse a few weeks after the installation to gather their views on how the project had gone.  
 
“I felt the introduction process was excellent,” he added. “I would advise any organisation considering a solar partnership to ensure that both the supplier and end user have a clear idea on timescales, deadlines, processes, and what needs to be done and why. Defining payback periods is also important. This builds a much clearer project specification.”  

Education is a large hurdle for businesses 

Once AHN’s 60kW system was fully operational, maintenance became a key focus.  
 
“You get your car serviced and take it for an MOT, why not do the same for solar?” said Kes. Properly maintaining your solar PV can extend its lifetime, improve efficiency, prevent staining and structural damage, and save costs.  
 
“We identified that Air Handlers are in quite a dirty air area,” Stephen explained. “We spoke about what they can do to keep the integrity of the system given their environment. It’s important for organisations to understand that steps can be taken to ensure green technology is a viable business option even if the environment doesn’t appear immediately accommodating.”  

AHN now have the tools in place to monitor energy generated by their solar system, identify any potential issues, and improve their energy efficiency.  
 
Reflecting on the experience, Mark is happy with the impact the new solar system is having and considers the experience to have been a positive one. As for his advice to other organisations considering investing in solar, Mark recommends “specifying timeframes so suppliers and end users have a clear idea as to when certain steps will be taking place and when their system will be fully operational. The difficult part of this project was getting the DNO and export license approved, once they were sorted it was a smooth process.” 

Are you looking for local, trusted installers of renewable energy technology? Visit our Marketplace to search for your ideal project partner or speak to one of our advisors to arrange face-to-face introductions.