Clients & Projects

From A Wide Spectrum of Sectors and Sizes

The energy and water used by a large multinational industrial conglomerate is no different to that used by a small shopkeeper or a local authority or a hospital. Of course the volume consumed, the way the supply is delivered and the uses to which these utilities are put vary enormously as does how critical the cost, quality and reliability of supply is to the successful operation of the business or service.

Watt-Knots works with clients of all kinds with widely differing needs across the UK. These are just some examples of our projects:

Large Local Authority:

• Appointed to assist in-house procurement, facilities and energy teams
• Found £230,000 ongoing energy savings from initial review
• Secured £75,000 rebate from one electricity supplier

Plus:

• Identified very substantial error in first invoices from new gas supplier
• Prepared a number of DECs & EPCs
• Negotiated £67,000 rebate from water supply company having identified incorrect sewage service charges
• Further water consumption savings across a number of sites through identification and repair of leakages

International Logistics Business:

• Keen to reduce costs and improve environmental credentials
• Identified opportunity for fully funded large scale wind turbine on site with resultant cost savings and
• Following technical assessment recommended installation of equipment to optimise voltage to achieve savings in electricity, usage, cost and CO2 emissions of 11.5%

Large Regional Police Force:

• Commissioned their own solar water heating project – total cost of £30,000
• Purchased equipment for £6,000
• Existing building maintenance company (BMC) asked to install
• BMC sub-contracted to: builders; electricians; plumbers at cost of £24,000

W-K asked to review and identified:

• Cost to install purchased equipment should be max £3,000
• Alternative option of supply & installation by specialists = £11,000
• Client potential saving of £19,000 (63%)

Electronics Manufacturer:

• About to upgrade supply cabling at cost of around £10,000
• W-K arranged £175 specialist survey to confirm no upgrade required – saving £9,825!
• Specialist equipment recommended to reduce electricity cost by 14.5%

Local Authority:

• Spending £3.5 million on electricity – and rising
• Many different buildings – no idea of usage!
• No Energy Policy
• Under pressure to a) reduce costs b) introduce renewables
• Need external assistance

Priorities:

• Develop Energy Policy
• Create Energy Strategy

Farmer With Substantial Glass Housing For Salad Crops:

• Spending nearly £0.75m year on gas heating, boilers & chp
• Needs plenty of CO2 for plant growth
• Minimal demand for electricity

So:

• Install biomass CHP
• Clean exhaust gasses to provide CO2 requirement
• Burn existing plant waste to remove landfill requirement
• Eliminate existing, rising gas cost
• Sell electricity generated back to grid
• Three year payback of capital
• Additional income realised from exporting of electricity not needed

Large Housing & Care Home Group:

• Multi-site and continually changing property portfolio
• Energy contracts in place but not structured in best way or on best terms
• Annual Electricity & Gas spend of nearly £700,000 reduced by 17%

Substantial Cold Store Business:

• Doubling of electricity cost risking business viability and plans for expansion
• Need to reduce substantial energy cost; keen to “go green”
• W-K study confirms potential for one, possibly two wind turbines
• Project for turbines progressing at no cost (or risk) to Client through arrangement set up by WK with specialist investors
• Specialist equipment identified by W-K for rapid achievement of ongoing -14.5% savings in electricity costs funded by interest-free loan

Fruit Farmer With Orchards And Pack House:

• Grows apples & pears
• Spends £25,000 per year on electricity to pack house
• Only real opportunity may rest in biomass – waste crop
• Possible potential to install wind turbine

But:

• Client very enthusiastic about opportunity for wind power
• Has two other very large plots of land
• One is possibility for housing scheme
• W-K study shows both sites have potential for several wind turbines
• Possible income of £25k per year for farmer owner
• Income increases with energy price
• Indexed linked pension for him
• Potential also to supply housing scheme

Large Private School:

• Forward thinking Bursar and Senior Management focussed on reducing environmental impact caused by operation of school site and facilities
• Also see educational value of renewable energy technologies on site
• Recognise significant financial benefits that also would arise from renewables
• Engaged to produce Energy Policy & Strategy plus feasibility studies for a range of sustainable technologies

Family Owned Castle:

• Hundreds of years old
• Struggling to see how we can help
• Mention a large lake owned, but four miles away - used to supply the local water company and villages, but no longer
• Walk through estate highlights stream offering micro hydro opportunity