It’s been an exciting time for us at The Sign Maker, we are finally welcoming solar! If you’ve been following us for a while now, you’ll know how passionate we are about sustainability. Solar panels are something that we have wanted to invest in for a while, and we are glad now to have made that change.
Installation Process
Solar panels are an investment that we have been considering for some time. We have no reservation about saying that the cost of living crisis prompted us to see the value of renewable energy as part of our existing energy structure. Having had various conversations with fellow businesses (most notably with those at The Devon and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce Green Networking Breakfast back in September), we decided that 2023 would be the year we went ahead.
After deciding where the panels would go, choosing how many panels we’d need and making the final calls – it was a joy to see the panels finally take their place on the workshop roof. We have 47.6kw worth of panels now installed as part of a hybrid solar system (in short meaning that they will produce both heat and electricity). The electricity generated will help power our offices and workshops. With time, we hope that we will have storage heaters fitted to help us make the most of the electricity that we are producing, in addition to returning renewable energy to the grid.
While our team at The Sign Maker are incredibly talented, welcoming solar would have been much harder had we tried to do it alone! Vertex Solutions were efficient, and evidently experienced, at laying out the necessary scaffolding so that Dart Electrics could bring our vision to life. The solar panels were installed within the space of a week, including the additional wiring up; Dart Electrics were fantastic throughout the whole process. Being able to work alongside a team willing to give advice and support – in addition to taking on the the installation, is something to be grateful for; so, thank you!
For Us, For You and For The Planet
There are many reasons that we have chosen to invest in solar panels for our site.
In the current climate for electricity, we have never been more appreciative for our existing sources of renewable energy. Though we acknowledge that businesses everywhere have had a challenging season in the cost of living crisis, we found that our previous investments into a biomass boiler and wind turbine were a great support to us at this time. So, solar panels working with them in tandem seemed like the next natural phase of our overall sustainable strategy.
We also find that you, our customers, like hearing about the ways in which we ensure your purchasing is as green as possible. You can be reassured that we are doing our best as a small manufacturing business to reduce our negative impact and increase the good that we do for the local wildlife and biodiverse landscape.
Given our reputation for sustainability, the planet is perhaps the biggest beneficiary of us welcoming solar. As business partners of UNESCO’s North Devon Biosphere, and having always been passionate about sustainability, it has never felt more important than now to further our use of renewable energy. Renewable energy produces little to no greenhouse gases (gases that we know can be harmful to the environment that we try so hard to protect)! We hope that welcoming solar will be a key part to us reducing our overall footprint – for the pure reason that we love and care for the wildlife!
Renewable Energy at The Sign Maker
With the new solar panels now in place, it is great to think that we now utilise wind, solar and biomass as part of our renewable energy structure at The Sign Maker. These have been significant investments over the past ten years that will shape the future of our business for a lifetime (and hopefully that of the planet).
If you don’t already, do subscribe to the blog or follow us on social media for more regular updates on our day to day experience of solar and renewable energy. There you will also find fun updates on our sign manufacturing antics! We’d love to share this experience with you and very much hope you’ll join us in our pursuits for a greener future.
Telephone: 01769 561355 | Email: sales@sign-maker.net | https://linktr.ee/thesignmaker