With an environmental management system already in place, RPM Digital base their business practices on working in an ethical and sustainable way. Aware that their premises were not as energy-efficient as they could be, but restricted by the costs of upgrading equipment, RPM contacted Low Carbon Dorset for support.

An initial energy report carried out by Low Carbon Dorset’s technical officer Erik, highlighted the carbon and cost savings that could be made from upgrading RPM’s lighting and gas-combi boiler. Within the report, alongside the recommended changes and potential savings, Erik outlined the likely cost of the project and payback periods.

With this information at hand RPM were able to plan their carbon reduction project according to their requirements and budget.

59 existing lights, mostly fluorescent tubes consisting of quadruple 18W, single 58W, or double 58W T8 fittings, were replaced with 39 highly efficient LED lights. Several of the existing lights were daylight tubes to help with quality control in the print works. These lights were replaced with LED daylight tubes. The replacement of the lights alone will make an estimated annual saving of 2.4 tonnes of CO2 / £600.

Hot water and heating was previously supplied to the offices through a gas combi-boiler. This non-condensing boiler had a SEDBUK (Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK) efficiency rating of under 79%. By making a simple switch to a 90%+ efficient condensing gas boiler RPM will make savings on energy use and bills. These savings are estimated at 2.6 tonnes of CO₂ and over £300 per year.

Further recommendations made in the RPM Digital energy report included more investigation into the barriers for installing Solar PV on the factory roof. And a detailed assessment of the building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system by a HVAC engineer to identify potential energy and carbon savings. RPM Digital can apply for further grants from Low Carbon Dorset to carry out these recommendations until the programme ends in 2020.

Here’s what RPM Digital Print had to say about their project:

Installation of equipment:    Boiler Installation – 1 day.  LED Light Installation – 2 days. The installation caused very little disruption to operations.

Issues encountered: None. We did need to add a few LED lights into the print room (more than originally intended) as the light was quite condensed in areas, but this did not impact on the price or the installation.

Benefits: We will be saving money on our electricity bill (up to 80%), and hopefully gas as well. We are most excited about reducing our carbon footprint and demonstrating our commitment to our Environmental Objectives. The lighting coverage is also improved in areas by our new LEDs.

Lessons learned: I would not change anything, except starting the project earlier! The free Energy Efficiency report from Low Carbon Dorset was the most outstanding contribution. We received advice about every way in which we could improve our efficiency and reduce our carbon impact. You normally have to pay a lot of money for such a thorough consultation! We also received support from Low Carbon Dorset throughout the project, with unbiased and reliable advice which was very much appreciated.