The contractor is investing in a decarbonisation overhaul of its Bolton headquarters expected to reduce reliance on the electricity grid by 61%, as the town’s mayor officially opens its newly redeveloped garden
Seddon is set to reduce its reliance on the local grid by almost two thirds (61%) with a major decarbonisation overhaul of its Bolton office, due to complete and be fully functioning by the end of the year.
Seddon's Engineering Services team is installing a 1,800m² solar farm across its Plodder Lane estate in Edge Fold, comprising 190 rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels and 400 ground-mounted panels. Once operational, the installation is expected to generate six times the amount of energy currently produced on the site, the equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 96 homes.
Surplus electricity generated by the solar farm will be stored in a 122kw battery system, helping the estate make greater use of its renewable generation and manage demand across the 1,913m² office building, onsite storage facilities and EV chargers. Further upgrades include doubling the number of EV chargers on site.
The latest investment follows the full refurbishment of the main office building carried out to PAS 2038, the framework for retrofitting non-domestic buildings to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. The completion of this first phase saw Seddon reduce CO2 equivalent by 40 tonnes from the site a year.
This initial project included the removal of all gas use, and the introduction of a new heating and cooling system that improved efficiency by approximately a fifth (19%), as well as a heat pump three times more efficient than the electric heater it replaced.
The building also underwent a complete LED lighting upgrade, operating two-thirds (64%) more efficiently than the original set up. New monitoring software and smart controls were also installed to optimise energy use and minimise waste.
The decarbonisation upgrade of the site comes as Councillor Mohammed Iqbal, Mayor of Bolton, visited to officially launch the office’s newly redeveloped 630m² garden, which features a vegetable patch and two bee hives, supporting both biodiversity in the local area. Seddon has plans to donate the fresh produce to local schools once the hives have established.
Cllr Mohammed Iqbal said: “Seddon's investment in renewable energy demonstrates the scale of change that can be achieved when committing to decarbonisation. Not only will this lead to substantial energy and cost savings, and less pressure on the grid, the garden is a great space to support employee wellbeing and local biodiversity - an all-round example of the future we want to work with businesses to create for Bolton.”
Nicola Hodkinson, owner and director at Seddon, said: “We do extensive work to support the sustainable development of our clients' buildings, so it felt essential to lead by example. We have made significant changes to the running of our estate to ensure it is future-proofed and positively contributing to the local environment. What is particularly rewarding is how our staff have taken ownership of the garden - learning how to propagate and look after the veg and flowers - it really has created an environment where people want to be”