Can Lighting Towers Improve Your Carbon Footprint?

As the days get shorter, construction contractors across the country become more reliant on lighting towers. But with growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions at every level of the supply chain, are traditional diesel lighting towers fit for purpose?

Many contractors assume opting for eco-friendly alternatives will hit their bottom line – something many businesses simply cannot handle in the current economic climate. This is probably driven by reports that reaching net zero will cost $3.5 trillion each year.¹

But the reality is the transition needn’t be hard on all areas of business. Modelling carried out by Cambridge Econometrics has demonstrated that tackling the cost of living while simultaneously accelerating the UK’s low-carbon transition would create “win-wins”². And our research has shown that lighting towers are one of them.

The environmental case for eco-friendly lighting towers

To illustrate the environmental benefits of eco-friendly lighting towers, let’s compare Welfare Hire’s X-Eco HYBRID LITHIUM tower with a standard diesel model.

The X-Eco HYBRID LITHIUM uses lithium hybrid technology to power six 100W LED lights. This allows it to provide 455 hours of continuous light per refill and deliver 80% silent running.

The combination of efficiency and more environmentally friendly energy sources leads to dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions. Based on the assumption that a site would run their units for 60hrs per week, each hybrid lighting tower produces a 288kg reduction each week; over a month, the savings reach 1135kg.

Our exclusive Eco Calculator quantifies how switching your lighting towers to eco-friendly alternatives will reduce your carbon footprint.

The economic case for eco-friendly lighting towers

The amount of fuel used in traditional lighting units is very large. From transporting the units to actually running them, these costs can hit contractors hard. This is only exacerbated by growing fuel prices.

Switching to eco-friendly lighting towers, therefore, presents an opportunity to save a great deal on the cost of fuel, as they require far less to run – and make it go a lot further.

Volumetric data from sites hiring our equipment has shown that every X-Eco HYBRID LITHIUM saves £108 per week in fuel costs – and £430 per month.

switching is easier than you think

These figures make clear the benefits of switching to innovative, eco-friendly lighting towers. But many contractors still assume that sourcing such towers must be difficult.

Welfare Hire ensures it is simple to make the switch. With market-leading customer service; inclusive maintenance and support; and 99.1% perfect hires, we have helped countless contractors introduce eco-friendly lighting towers.

1.https://https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/01/net-zero-cost-3-5-trillion-a-year/
2.https://https://www.corporateleadersgroup.com/files/clg_uk_the_best_of_both_worlds_policy_briefing_270622.pdfs

Three Ways Better On-Site Facilities Improve Your Project

If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that hygiene matters.

But most construction leaders still assume on-site facilities are simply a matter of Health and Safety (H&S) – not an opportunity to create competitive advantage. 

The truth is the hygiene facilities featured in innovative mobile welfare units and welfare vans create many benefits – way beyond simply keeping your staff safe.

Here are three key ways better hygiene facilities produce a meaningful improvement to your project:

1. Improve Your ESG

On-site facilities require regular servicing to and from the site. This might not seem like much, but these are the sort of easy-to-solve carbon emitting and water wastage practices which accumulate – and end up making a dent in your ESG score.

The average chemical toilet used on construction sites requires at least one weekly service, and doesn’t use recycled water. But this isn’t construction leaders’ only option.

The unique XL Smart Water  system built into our ECOWC2 towable toilet block and other welfare units boasts more than 3x more capacity. They typically take several weeks to fill, reducing the frequency of servicing trips – and therefore the carbon emissions your site is responsible for. 

Not only that: they also harvest rainwater to create a more sustainable system. Your site is not only responsible for less water usage but you can also report on the smart initiatives taken to make these incremental savings.

2. Improved Employee Experience

Imagine it’s your first day on a construction site: you go to wash your hands, and discover there’s no hot water. It’s a small factor, but over the course of a full work day – and a complete project – this starts to have a real impact on the general mood and morale on-site. 

Better facilities that run smoothly and provide plenty of room can therefore have a dramatic impact on employee experience. It signals to staff that they are valued, helping with general wellbeing, increased retention and loyalty.Improved hygiene also reduces the spread of disease and helps keep your staff safe. 68% of workers say that poor hygiene at work has made them sick and unable to do their job¹ – meaning improved hygiene leads to fewer sick days, higher morale and a more productive workforce.

3. Cost Savings

The cumulative costs of poor hygiene are staggering. One study found that employee sickness related to poor hygiene costs UK business more than £1.5 billion each year alone². As a result, improved on-site hygiene facilities are not just a question of ethics or responsibility to your employees – they are a near-guaranteed boost to your bottom line.

Between fewer sick days from employees, less money spent on services and higher retention of staff, the cost savings attributable to improved on-site hygiene facilities start to add up. But how much could your specific site save?

Welfare Hire Measures Your Gains

Welfare Hire offers a range of innovative mobile welfare units fitted with Smart Water systems that improve you ESG, employee experience and bottom line. In fact, our Eco & Social Value Calculator allows you to estimate the exact savings you’ll make by switching to Welfare Hire products:

Want to learn how our ECOWC2 towable toilet block and other welfare units could improve your project?

1.https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-confirms-205-million-budget-to-power-more-of-britain-from-britain
1.https://www.gov.uk/government/news/16-billion-investment-brought-forward-to-speed-up-vital-water-infrastructure-projects
2.https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/1300-clean-power-projects-permission-awaiting-construction-say-councils

Three Ways Innovation Can Help the Power Sector Reach Net Zero Faster

The UK’s power sector has pledged to reach net zero by 2035. But with demand for energy set to more than double in the next two decades¹, experts warn that more rapid measures will be required to achieve these goals.

What can the sector do to ensure it both meets consumers’ needs and reduces its impact on the climate? 

At Kelling Group, we believe the key is to engage at every level of scale – from new infrastructure to the van mounted MEWPs used on-site. And in this article, we explore three ways this can be done.

1. Introducing Clean Energy to the Grid

The goal

The UK needs a green energy system that can provide over 65 million people with a reliable source of sustainable energy. This involves a complex national infrastructure that transports clean energy to households and buildings.

The challenge

Nearly £200 billion has been spent on clean energy projects since 2010².  But there is a lack of capacity in the national energy grid, which has created significant delays. There is currently an enormous “queue” to connect wind and solar energy to the grid – with some providers told they will have to wait up to 15 years.

“Fundamental reform is needed. More infrastructure is needed. We are working very hard to design and build at a faster pace than we ever have done before.”

Roisin Quinn of National Grid

How innovation helps

The lack of access to the grid – and concerns about the latency of some forms of renewables³ – can be overcome through technology. A recent report cited “smarter, more flexible, digitally-enabled grid” that would enable flexible use of power.

2. Reducing Emissions On-Site

The goal

Power infrastructure projects must also decarbonise, enabling regular building and maintenance work to be done without adding to the sector’s overall carbon emissions. 

The challenge

Few projects can be completed without equipment like van mounted MEWPs. But until recently, it has been extremely difficult to access electric vehicles (EVs) that can fulfil the needs of a construction site.

How innovation helps

Access Zero offers a fleet of fully-electric van mounted MEWPs which radically reduce the carbon emissions of power sites. This empowers site leaders to make an easy win, immediately improving their ESG scores. With plans to remove diesel from worksites by 2035, they will also be getting ahead of the curve – and likely win more government and local authority contracts in the process.

2. Increasing Consumer Demand for Clean Energy

The goal

Consumers are able to influence the choices of both government and private enterprise. Educating the public and encouraging individuals to push for far faster progress on decarbonisation will increase the sector’s urgency. 

The challenge

Many consumers perceive clean energy as a direct route to higher prices. Combined with the recent increases in bills due to the war in Ukraine, many consumers are less inclined to opt for greener choices. 

How innovation helps

At Kelling Group, our eco-friendly fleets are a perfect example of innovation providing the answer. While many employees on power worksites may not feel they can influence decarbonisation, they actually have the ability to make a real difference – simply by putting pressure on their employers to choose cleaner equipment. With fully-electric van mounted MEWPs now available nationwide, workers can show their employers that products exist which will both improve their output and reduce their carbon emissions.

Want To Explore Eco-Friendly Fleets?

1.https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40495/documents/197590/default/
2.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65500339
3.https:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmenvaud/109/report.html
4.https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmenvaud/109/report.html
5.https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/energy-news/driving-out-diesel-use-on-construction-sites/130063/