Commercial Washrooms Carbon Neutral Target

Solar Power at Commercial Washrooms

The Commercial Washrooms HQ has taken steps toward 100% environmentally friendly power, aiming to be entirely self-sufficient. As well as adding more Roof Insulation (which reduced the amount of energy needed by 75%) we also are powered largely by Solar Power. 

In 2012, 240 solar panels were installed on the roof, providing enough electricity to power 10 houses. Year round, these solar panels provide approximately 75% of the electricity for the building, rising to 100% in the summer.  

There are plans in the near future to install even more solar panels, as well as batteries to store the excess power, to reach the goal of a completely sustainable and self-sufficient power supply. 

 

Biomass Boiler Heating at Commercial Washrooms

September the 1st is the official start of Autumn and if you needed proof – you just have to look out of the window; the windy, rainy weather and the switch to winter jackets indicate the slow slide through Halloween and into Winter. 

Here at Commercial Washrooms however, we are quite looking forward to the cooler weather as it gives us a chance to put our new Biomass Boiler through its paces! 

The Commercial Washrooms Headquarters will be switching from Solar to Biomass with our biomass boiler being switched on later this month. Our boiler was installed in 2013 as part of an initiative to provide a greener supply of energy to the building which contains two businesses. 

 

When our biomass boiler was first installed, the space it took up in the car park was definitely noticed. Biomass boilers are considerably bigger than fossil fuel burners, primarily because wood pellets take up a lot more space than gas does. 

As well as having a larger boiler, we have a hopper installed taking up a huge amount of space in this area. It stores a significant volume of wood pellets allowing them to be automatically fed into the boiler when it's needed. Our hopper holds about 9 tonnes of pellets, which usually lasts us 12 weeks when the heating is on full blast. 

 

Benefits of Commercial Biomass Boilers

• Biomass Boilers are considered ‘Carbon Neutral’ if used sustainably 
• Wood Pellets have a low ‘Ash content’ 
• Replacing a Gas or Oil boiler can save up to 9.5 Tonnes of Carbon annually 
• The cost of Biomass Wood Pellets subsidised 
• Forms part of our Corporate Social Responsibility program  

 

Biomass boilers are similar to traditional gas boilers, however they use biomass fuel instead. This can be made from any organic material, with wood pellets being used here at Commercial Washrooms. Providing 100% of the heating for the entire building. 

Wood pellets are usually made from left over parts of the tree that would otherwise not be used and produce a very low ash content. Every year in the UK 8.5 million tonnes of wood goes to landfill in the UK, which could otherwise be used to heat homes and businesses. 

While biomass boilers do produce some carbon emissions, they are actually considered carbon neutral. The emissions from burning are the same amount of carbon that the plant absorbed during its lifetime, and the process will be sustainable as long as new trees are planted.  

The boiler is very low maintenance; the automatic hopper means it doesn’t have to be manually refilled very often, and cleaning ash from the boiler is also infrequent. As well as this, the ash can be used as a very effective fertiliser, resulting in another use for the boiler to help the environment.  

The drive toward 100% sustainability is part of Commercial Washrooms' Corporate Social Responsibility.