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Case study: Reducing carbon emissions with Essex County Council
Mitie and Essex County Council (ECC) are partners in fighting climate change and reducing carbon emissions, with a focused approach on reaching Net Zero carbon emissions in ECC’s core estate by 2030.
“Mitie always goes the extra mile and delivers over and above the day job through its commitments to social value, innovation, digital transformation and sustainability, delivering greater value for money and helping us to achieve our wider strategic outcomes in Everyone’s Essex – a true partnership approach.”
Paul Crick, Director for Performance, Investment and Delivery, Essex County Council
The Journey to Net Zero
Over the past five years, we’ve partnered with ECC throughout its evolving decarbonisation journey; developing and submitting detailed Government grant applications worth £7m; reviewing ECC’s estate to identify priority sites; creating feasibility studies, securing government funding; and providing turnkey project management services for the installation of a range of energy efficient technology, including solar panels, air source heat pumps and double-glazing.
Using solar to cut energy costs
Solar panels significantly reduce energy costs, offering a low maintenance solution to generate greener energy. In 2021, ECC started its first installation phase, which soon expanded to another 12 schools and 20 core council buildings, including libraries and children’s centres. Mitie has installed remote monitoring equipment to track the panel performance, carbon savings achieved and any maintenance requirements. The data is sent to a portal that can be accessed by Mitie, the ECC facilities/energy teams and the schools themselves.
Partnering on a decarbonisation strategy
The new solar panels significantly reduce carbon emissions and energy costs for ECC, producing around 1,700,000 kWh of renewable energy every year, equivalent to the energy needed to power 450 homes; saving 360 tonnes of CO2 and around £280,500, with estimated payback times of less than 10 years. We have also completed 45 LED lighting projects in core council buildings, saving ECC an estimated £121,000 and 174 tonnes of carbon a year. LED lighting can be up to 80% more energy efficient than traditional lighting, as well as having a longer lifespan, cutting replacement and maintenance costs.
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