SUCCESS STORY

Cutting energy costs through practical improvements: Thomas Howse

Thomas Howse is a manufacturing business in the West Midlands. They needed to reduce energy costs and improve efficiency across their operations.

Impact at a glance

Identified potential savings of £18,000 per year in energy costs through a structured energy audit
Reduced annual carbon emissions by 22 tonnes through targeted efficiency improvements
Uncovered practical actions including solar installation, equipment upgrades and fixing energy losses

The business

Thomas Howse is an independent industrial paint and powder coating manufacturer. It was founded in 1903, making it one of the oldest paint companies in the UK and is based in Rowley Regis.

Sector: Manufacturing

Location: West Midlands

Size: 50 employees

Why they took action

Energy is one of the firm’s major costs and so there is a constant need to look for energy savings as a way to directly benefit the bottom line. The firm decided to undertake an energy audit through the Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) that was run by the Business Growth West Midlands.

What they did

The BEAS energy audit was carried out by BEAS delivery partner Pro Enviro. It involved a site visit and analysis, resulting in a report to the company with a series of practical, implementable energy saving actions.

What difference it made

The audit set out a clear pathway to a total of £18,000 in annual energy costs savings and a 22 tonnes reduction in carbon emissions each year. The specific actions identified where:

Installing solar panels on the roof: saving of £10,250 per year and carbon emissions cut by 12 tonnes per year
Rewiring work to reduce the number of light fittings: saving of £4,850 per year and carbon emissions down 6 tonnes a year
Installation of a variable speed drive compressor: savings of £2,700 per year and carbon emissions down 3.4 tonnes
Repairing air pipes to reduce leaks: saving of £370 per year and carbon emissions cut by 0.5 tonnes