Green building set to reduce energy consumption

Building envelope specialist, CA Group Limited, has further demonstrated its commitment to sustainable construction by unveiling one of the most energy efficient manufacturing facilities in the North East - at the company’s Evenwood headquarters.

The building, which features a combination of solar technologies and CA Group’s own Twin-Therm roof and wall system, is expected to save as much as 55% on the combined heating and electricity requirements, when compared with its base build performance.

In order to achieve this significant saving, the company, which specialises in the manufacture and installation of some of the UK’s largest warehouses, installed a 220.740kWp PV system, consisting of 849 PV modules to the roof of its profiling mill, which houses some of the company’s manufacturing processes.

This was combined with the existing SolarWall Transpired Solar Collector system, which was installed in 2006, further boosting its green credentials.

It is estimated that the PV array will generate in the region of 183,000kWh of energy per annum, offsetting the company’s annual electricity demand for this building by more than 40%. The return on investment on the technology is expected in approximately six years and will see CA Group generating on-site electricity well beyond 2040.

Andrew Brewster, Project Development Manager for CA Group, explained: “As one of the largest employers in the area, we are acutely aware of our potential to impact on the local environment and community and we want to ensure this is kept to a minimum. Investing in the next generation of green electricity and reducing our operational energy consumption, and the resulting CO2 emissions, is just one example of our commitment to doing so.”

CA Group’s Twin-Therm roof and wall system delivers a fully-walkable, Non-Fragile roof assembly, inclusive of in-plane GRP rooflights, which maximises the amount of natural daylight into the building, reducing the need for artificial lighting.
 
The Twin-Therm roof virtually eliminates the risk of leaks, due to the lack of direct fixings from outside to inside. Furthermore, when installed as per CA Group recommendations, the addition of a roof mounted PV system does not compromise the roof system guarantee or Confidex coating guarantee for the pre-coated steel roof sheets.

Brewster concluded: “Our manufacturing facility offers an excellent example of the savings that can be achieved through a combination of solar technology and the latest innovations in roofing and cladding installation. There is a perception that PVs are ineffective so far north, which tends to put a lot of people off installing them.

"However, as you can see from the figures, providing the emphasis is placed on ensuring the correct system design, they are a highly effective technology and can play an integral role in the fight to reduce CO2 emissions.”