SUCCESS STORY

Cutting fuel costs and emissions on construction sites: Minot Brothers

Minot Brothers supplies electric and low-emission construction equipment across the UK. They needed to help contractors reduce fuel costs and meet growing demand for lower-emission solutions on site.

Impact at a glance

• Reduced diesel use by over 4,000 litres per week on a live construction project
• Saved more than £5,600 per week in fuel costs by switching from diesel to battery-supported systems
• Improved site efficiency and helped contractors meet emissions and air quality requirements

The business

Minot Brothers is a specialist provider of electric and low-emission construction machinery, supplying contractors across the UK, and advising customers on the practical integration of these solutions into live site operations.

The company focuses on making cleaner plant accessible to a wide range of customers, including small and medium-sized contractors who may face barriers to adopting new equipment.

Sector: Construction / equipment supply

Location: UK

Size: SME

Why they took action

Construction sites rely heavily on diesel-powered machinery, with high fuel costs. In addition, construction clients and major projects are increasingly requiring lower-emission equipment to meet environmental targets, creating demand for electric plant on site. Yet for many contractors, particularly SMEs, the upfront cost and operational uncertainty of switching to electric plant can limit adoption.

Minot Brothers was established to address this gap by improving access to lower-emission machinery while demonstrating that cleaner equipment can also improve site efficiency and reduce operating costs.

What they did

No cost to low cost actions

Provided performance data and operational comparisons to help contractors assess cost and energy impacts of switching from diesel to electric systems.

Medium cost actions

Supported adoption and integration of electric equipment into live construction environments, including cranes and site power systems.

Significant capital investment

Deployed battery energy storage systems to replace or reduce reliance on diesel generators for site power.

Supplied electric and hybrid construction plant to reduce fuel consumption and emissions on site.

What difference it made

Electric machinery reduces fuel consumption compared to diesel alternatives, lowering day-to-day operating costs. Reduced mechanical complexity also lowers maintenance requirements and downtime, improving equipment availability on site.

For example, a construction project at the South Clyde Energy Centre in Glasgow replaced a traditional diesel generator with a battery-supported system, reducing diesel consumption by 4,029 litres/week, cutting fuel costs by approximately £5,640/week and auxiliary equipment costs by £275/week, and reducing emissions by 10.11 tonnes of CO₂e/week.

The use of electric plant improves site conditions, reduces noise and improves air quality, supporting safer and cleaner working environments.

These benefits support contractors in meeting project requirements for emissions reduction and air quality, while improving cost control.

How were the changes funded?

The business model is based on supplying and deploying electric plant, with investment in equipment supported through commercial operations. Customers adopt the technology through procurement or hire models rather than direct capital investment in new systems.

Lessons for other businesses

Minot Brothers shows how switching from diesel to electric or battery-supported equipment can reduce fuel costs, improve operational efficiency, and help meet increasing environmental requirements on construction projects.

As emissions and air-quality standards become more common in procurement and site management, access to low-emission plant can support both cost reduction and participation in projects where environmental performance is a requirement.

Find out more about Minot Brothers