🏠 The Challenge:
Accent Fresh Ltd is a family-run fresh produce distributor serving the food service industry. Operating 24 hours a day, six days a week, the business relies on extensive chilled storage to maintain the freshness and quality of its products.
With refrigeration demands resulting in higher electricity consumption during the summer months, alongside its electric forklifts, electric vehicles and electric distribution van, the business faced significant energy costs and a considerable carbon footprint.
Accent Fresh wanted to reduce its electricity bills and carbon emissions while supporting its wider commitment to creating a more sustainable future for the food industry.
🚀 The Solution:
Having initially installed a 50 kW solar PV system in 2016, Accent Fresh experienced the financial benefits of solar first-hand, with the original investment paying for itself within five years.
Following a building extension in 2019, the business decided to maximise its available roof space by expanding its solar capacity to 110 kW of roof-mounted solar PV, complete with inverters.
The installation process was incredibly smooth from start to finish. With its substantial electricity requirements, particularly for chilled storage, solar was an ideal fit for the business, allowing it to generate renewable electricity on-site and reduce its reliance on grid energy.
🔋 The Results:
The solar installation has delivered impressive financial and environmental benefits for Accent Fresh:
• £35,000–£40,000 in annual savings on energy costs.
• Approximately 50% of annual electricity requirements supplied by solar energy.
• Around 50 tonnes of carbon emissions saved annually, reducing Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions.
• An anticipated payback period of 3–4 years for the investment, taking into account the business’s stated expectations.
• Progress towards Net Zero, with solar and green energy tariffs helping Accent Fresh achieve carbon-neutral status in its carbon audit ahead of its 2035 target.
By making full use of its available roof space, Accent Fresh has turned its building into a valuable source of renewable energy while reducing costs and environmental impact.
💡 Accent Fresh’s Advice:
I wish we had invested in solar panels years ago, but it’s still a great investment from a commercial point of view and a big contributor to our path to Net Zero Carbon emissions.
