Culraven Ltd, a busy dairy farm just outside Kirkcudbright, relies on a huge amount of equipment to keep daily operations running smoothly. Water pumps, water heating, milk cooling, lighting – it all adds up quickly, and so do the business’s energy bills.
The farm had already taken a big step forward by installing a roof-mounted solar PV array with a total capacity of 270 kWp. But energy bills were still high and they wanted to take more action to reduce them, and their carbon footprint, even further. That’s when Tim Maitland, Culraven’s director, got in touch with Business Energy Scotland.
“The impartial advice we have received from Business Energy Scotland has given us real confidence and access to finance and has accelerated our sustainability drive.”
Working with Tim, we identified several energy saving opportunities.
The biggest opportunity came from adding battery storage to complement the existing solar array. Over half of the electricity being generated by the PV was surplus to the farm’s daytime needs and was being exported back to the grid. By investing in a battery storage system to store this excess energy and using it on the farm during each night’s late milking session, we estimated £10,000 a year could be saved. With a payback of less than 3 years.
We also looked at installing voltage optimisation equipment. This would not only reduce energy use but also help protect expensive farm machinery from unnecessary wear and tear. That upgrade was estimated to provide another £1,500 in annual energy savings.
A solar thermal system was also considered but not deemed feasible given that much of the farm’s hot water use was in the early morning, before sunrise. But we did recommend replacing old lighting in two of the farm’s sheds with modern, energy‑efficient alternatives. This upgrade would unlock a further £1,200 in savings each year.
With this information in hand Tim was able to take advantage of an interest-free loan and cashback grant from the Scottish Government’s SME Loan Scheme. Culraven has now installed all the recommended measures and are on track to save up to £13,000 on annual energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint by 9.7 tonnes of carbon.
Tim said: “The impartial advice we have received from Business Energy Scotland has given us real confidence and access to finance and has accelerated our sustainability drive.”
Help for your business
Business Energy Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government to provide free, impartial support and access to funding to help small and medium-sized enterprises save energy, carbon and money
Whether you are just starting out on your energy-saving journey and need some pointers or are looking for expertise and funding to support your current plans, our team of experienced business advisors and energy-saving specialists are here to help. Get in touch today.
Get the case study sent straight to your inbox
If you liked this case study, make sure you sign up to our regular ezine, The Bottom Line. It’s an easy way to keep up to date with all the latest updates including grants and funding, free training, case studies, the latest blogs and other useful resources that can help your organisation improve its environmental performance, save resources and save money.