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I-Mail Services Ltd

In September 2022 we were proud to complete a 35.49kW installation of Solar PV for Mailbox DM Ltd, a direct mail marketing company who were seeking to lower both energy costs from the grid and also carbon emissions from their operations.

In total, 78 455w Monocrystalline panels were mounted to a flat roof of the building. We purposely selected this roof due to its greater orientation towards south and therefore it’s greater energy generation potential; the installation went seamlessly and was completed in 5 days.

We also included an online monitoring system to allow our client the ability to view the status of the system and monitor generation levels of their new array.

Mailbox DM’s PV array will provide the business with 29,267.54 kWh a year in green solar harvested energy and will reduce their carbon footprint by 13.1 tonnes of CO2 in the first year alone. This is the equivalent of a car travelling 39,313 miles or 655 trees growing in one year! This system will have paid for itself through savings made in year 3 of its operation and will provide Mailbox DM Ltd savings of £106,044.43 by year 10 based on energy market costs at time of install.

UPDATE!!

Mailbox DM were so thrilled with the performance of the PV array and the savings it was providing, they contacted us and asked if we could install a second PV system on their building and this time include batteries. Mailbox wanted batteries as to increase saving opportunities by collecting, storing and using any surplus energy from the array, which would usually be exported back to the grid. We will shortly be installing a 16.38kW array consisting of 36 455w Monocrystalline panels and an 11.6 kWh battery storage system.

This installation will generate 13,415.22kWh per annum and remove 6 tonnes of CO2 from their operations each year. This system will have paid for itself through savings made in year 4 of its operation and will provide Mailbox DM Ltd savings of £76,474.99 by year 10 based on energy market costs at time of install.

Both systems will provide combined savings of £182,519.42 for Mailbox DM Ltd by year 10 based on energy market costs at time of install and eliminate 191 Tonnes of CO2 from their carbon footprint.

Glazerite Windows

Glazerite Windows were looking for a fully managed mobile estate, and came to Utility Trade Group to help them.

Group Managing Director, Jason Thompson, was pleased with our service. He said:

“Utility Trade Group have managed our mobile estate for a number of years now and we have just entered our third contract term with them.

The transfer from Vodafone to O2 was planned to limit any disruption to our business, and Rachel liaised with our IT company to come into our head office and set up the new handsets ready for the port date.

All devices were clearly labelled to help distribute them easily as our workforce work from various locations.

We receive a monthly billing summary report along with our invoice and any overage charges are highlighted and detailed as to what they’re for.

We would happily recommend Utility Trade Group as we have always been pleased with the service provided.”

White Hart Press

We are a family run business and needed some direction regarding our mobile contracts.

Our plan was to upgrade our hardware and to add a couple of new users to our contract.

Utility Trade Ltd spent time taking us through the various package options to make sure we had what we needed and got the best deal available.

They helped us transfer over to our new phones and even helped us trade in our old hardware. We received on site support in advance of the change over to the new provider and phone support during the transition date.

A monthly report is given to us along with our invoice and advice is given should we need to change anything. Their reporting tool gives us full control of our usage and device management.

The Outlook Creative Group

We are a multi-discipline communications agency with staff regularly travelling throughout Europe. Being able to communicate effectively on the move is vital; therefore, we rely heavily on our mobile communications infrastructure.

Utility Trade Ltd helped us transfer our mobiles to a network that included free calls from the UK to Europe, allowing us to reduce our costs.

We were advised that a shared data plan would be the most cost-effective option as our data usage varied individually from month to month. This removed any unexpected data charges and allowed us to add additional users at a lower rate.

We received on-site support to help with backing up everyone’s old devices and transferring of information to the new devices. We had little to no disruption on the day of the migration to the new provider.

As our users are in and out of the country, the switch over was carefully planned to ensure no one lost any service.

Their reporting tool gives us full control of our usage and device management. One great feature is the ability to set alerts to warn us if there are any charges over any agreed set amount when they are travelling abroad.

A detailed breakdown of usage is sent to us along with our invoice every month, and we have regular face to face meetings. Overall, we are delighted with the service we receive and would highly recommend Utility Trade to any business.

Mason Street Furniture

We are a growing company, with various depots and have a lot of remote workers, therefore we rely heavily on our mobile communications, so coverage is vital.

Utility Trade Ltd helped us transfer our mobiles estate to a network that could provide better voice coverage and provided us with multi-network sims for our data use.

After completing an extensive audit, Utility Trade advised us that a shared data plan would be the most cost-effective option. It greatly reduced our monthly spend but also gives us flexibility for adding new connections.

For our temporary remote offices, which do not have any IT infrastructure, they provided a wireless 4g solution which enabled us to work effectively.

The operation of distributing sims and hardware was seamless. As our users are based all over the country, working various shifts, the switch over was planned in batches to ensure a smooth transfer. We received on site support in advance of the distribution and phone support during the transition date.

Their reporting tool gives us full control of our usage and device management.

A full breakdown is sent to us along with our invoice every month and we have regular face to face meetings. Overall, we have gained valuable time back in our accounts department.

I would highly recommend Utility Trade Ltd to anyone.

The Ark, St Laurence Church 2019

In July this year UT Power Ltd was contacted by St Laurence Church tasking us with finding an additional heating solution for their beautifully designed modern church hall. The Ark currently runs on gas heating, however it was taking too long to warm up and hard to maintain the temperature. 

After conducting a site survey and having discussions with the client we agreed on installing Far Infra-Red heating panels to the lowered ceiling area of the main hall.

The heating area was 5x12x5m which required 10.1kW of heating power, as opposed to installing electric conventional heating which would require 20-25kW to heat the hall efficiently.

We chose to mount 6x sleek looking panels onto the ceiling and 2x higher output panels on either side of the walls to boost the heating and avoiding any heat sinks. The system will be controlled via an online enabled thermostat system, allowing the client to turn the heating on and off via an app remotely from anywhere with an internet connection. The project was delivered in two days, a day ahead of schedule and within budget.

The Ark and their clients will now benefit from radiant heat which is the preferred heat for our bodies, 5-10 second warm up times and numerous health benefits. Infra-Red heating also helps with the reduction of existing damp and condensation and requires NO maintenance or servicing.

Littleport and East Cambs Academy 2019

In March this year we completed a 49.5kW installation of Solar PV at the new academy in Ely.

In total, 180 275w Polycrystalline panels were fitted on two different pitches of the numerous roofs; the installation went seamless and was completed in 3 days.

We installed x2 25kW SolarEdge inverters and x90 power optimisers to increase the system yields, improve safety and ease maintenance in the future. We also included the monitoring system, so the school staff had a clear monitoring portal to view the status of the system and generation of their new array.

Littleport Academy’s PV array will provide the school with 43,141kWh a year in solar energy and will reduce their carbon footprint by 19.4 tonnes of CO2 in the first year alone. This is the equivalent of a car travelling 58,219 miles or 970 trees growing in one year!

Senate House, University of London 2019

In March this year we installed 50kW of Solar PV on the University of London’s Senate House.

184 x 270w panels were installed on the roof of Senate House, which will generate 46,533kWh worth of electricity annually. This will reduce their carbon footprint by 20.1 tonnes of cO2 in year 1 alone. This is equivalent of a car travelling 62721 miles or 1045 trees growing in 1 year! We installed 2 x 25kW SolarEdge inverters and 92 x power optimisers to increase the system yields, improve safety and ease maintenance in the future

Cambridgeshire Schools & Leisure Centres

Reducing carbon footprints and learning coming hand in hand…

The uptake of solar has been especially strong with schools for Utility Trade in the first quarter of 2019. Utility Trade completed several installations of Solar PV for a mixture of schools, academies and leisure centres in the first three months of the year.

The installations ranged from 8kW to 50kW and will be providing the schools with 350,000kWh a year in solar generated electricity. This will reduce their carbon footprint by 157 tonnes of CO2 a year and save them thousands in energy costs.

We installed SolarEdge inverters and optimisers to increase the system yields, improve safety and ease maintenance in the future. The schools are also using the monitoring platform as teaching aids to involve the children in the school’s green ambitions.

It was a very ambitious and challenging project which we completed on budget and time for the client.

New Adult Learning Centre in Enderby Receives the PV treatment

Danemill Primary School Annexe has just been refurbished and will reopen as an adult learning centre. As part of the refurbishment and continued commitment from Leicestershire County Council to make their property portfolio more sustainable the buildings now have a 25kW solar array.

The system comprises of 93 275W Jinko SolarEdge optimised pv modules, is forecast to generate 22,500kWh and avoid 10 tonnes of CO2 emmissions in year one.

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Manufacturing Company in Telford Gets LED Makeover

Completed at the end of 2017, UT Power undertook a 328 lamp replacement project to retrofit LED lighting in the offices, training areas and warehouse at Viessmann’s facilities in Telford.

The project took three weeks to complete working around the office and warehouse workers who occupy the building.

The previous lighting energy consumption on site was approximately 138,000kWh a year.

The LED lighting consumption has reduced that by a huge 83,000kWh to 55,500kWh a year, in total a 60% reduction.

The savings in 2018 will be circa £11,635 allowing the company to invest in other areas of the business.

UT Power fit Luceco lighting products who have 70 years experience in the lighting and LED manufacturing industry.

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LED Lighting Project for Gym in Norwich

Modern gym and spa looking to reduce their energy consumption.

This modern and forward thinking gym on the edge of Norwich have been looking for ways to reduce their overall energy consumption. After a discussion with their Utility Trade account manager they decided to investigate the potential of LED lighting.

After a full investigation by our lighting engineer a full program of LED replacements was devised. The initial phase was to replace the lighting in the main gym and mezzanine areas.  This comprised of the biggest lights and trickiest areas to install. In all 31 LED units were fitted comprising of a mixture of ‘High-bay’ and ‘Low-bay’ fittings.

To minimize the disruption to the patrons and day to day functioning of the gym it was decided to carry out this stage in one day, utilising a scissor lift and mobile tower to reach each unit. The electricians were onsite at 8am, working quickly and efficiently and managing to get the entire job complete by 11pm.

Savings in Year 1:  £819.16

CO2 Reduction:  3,828kg/yr

Energy Reduction:  40%

Cleeve Park School have 5 x Yandiya 3200W Space Heaters installed in their Main Hall

At the end of 2017 Cleeve Park School took the step to heat their main hall with far infrared space heaters, an intelligent heating solution from UT Power. These heaters give off no light and provide a similar warmth to that of the sun (as it’s the same type of heat). They are highly efficient and heat the objects and people in the hall rather than attempting to heat the air. The hall is used for exams so it was a welcome change for the pupils.

4 of the heaters went into the main hall and one in the adjacent corridor. Far infrared space heaters are an ideal solution for large rooms with ceilings above 3m high. This particular hall is approximately 13m square with a 7m high ceiling in the center, only requiring 12.8kW to heat it effectively, making it not only a good engineering solution but a good economic one too. They also don’t look too bad.

The controls are set up with a temperature sensor for the room to enable temperatures to be maintained when required and an overriding on off switch when the hall is not in use.

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Newmarket and Cheltenham Racecourses Solar PV Installations

Over the last few months UT Power have completed several Solar PV installations at two of the country’s most famous Racecourses. The Centaur building at the entrance to Cheltenham Racecourse has now got a 50kW array on it that can be seen from the road running past the course. The specification for this was that it needed to compliment the existing building so an all black panel was used (174 x JA Solar 285W) and an all black mounting kit.

The system comprises of 174 285W mono panels and 2 x 25kW SolarEdge inverters. The installation went seamlessly and was completed in 3 days. It included the use of a 360 degree 25 meter Roto telehandler to lift the pallets onto the roof.

The system is forecast to generate 49,715kWh in it’s first year saving over 22 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Newmarket Racecourse has had 5 systems installed across its sites. An 11kW on the Hostel of the National Stud, 2 30kW systems at the front of the July Course and 2 systems on the Rowley Mile at the sites office block and workshop.

As the offices and July Course were going to be visible arrays for guests to the site as well as when the courses are on TV they have again opted for an All black panel for those sites. The Workshop and Hostel are both out of the way so a 270W polycrystalline panel was utilised .

In total 143 270W polycrystalline panels and 180 280W monocrystalline panels were fitted. All on SolarEdge optimised systems to improve safety, maintenance and annual yield. The sites are forecast to generate 88,103kWh in the first year and save over 39 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Both The Rowley Mile and Cheltenham Racecourses have also had SolarEdge Firefighter Gateways fitted to show the SafeDC function of the optimised system working in the event the fire service is needed on the sites.

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Engineering Company Improves Sustainability through Voltage Optimisation

UT Power have just completed fitting a pair of Voltage Optimisers for offices and the workshop of a European engineering company based in the West Midlands.

The units are forecast to save them around 9/10% on their electricity bills and add longevity to their equipment by reducing the voltage at the incoming supply by 8%. This is going to reduce their CO2 emmissions by around 15,246kg and save the company approximately £6,500 a year.

UT Power worked with the client very closely through the project, carefully specifying the optimisation units to meet the clients needs, organising the installation with site, coordinating with the DNO so that our electricians could install new fused AC isolators after the supply point and completing the installation on a Saturday to allow for site shutdown out of hours.

The units come with an online platform that enables the end user to monitor the sites consumption and electrical supply parameters with data supplied directly from the units. The monitoring has the added benefit of showing the client their consumption patterns and see if there are times when energy savings can be made by spotting unnecessary usage or streamlining operations allowing them to make further savings.

They aren’t the most glamorous when it comes to energy efficiency and renewable energy products but they certainly can get the job done!

New Build Student Accommodation in Leicester – Solar PV Installation

UT Power work with Architects, Principle Contractors and M&E consultants on many projects. Last November we completed a 20kW, 74 panel flat roof installation for Highcross Building Services on a new block of student accommodation in Leicester.

The system took a day to install on the flat roof after a careful design and consultation period to ensure that the various obstacles (flues, lift shafts, etc) were worked around.

It is forecast to generate 17,812kWh and avoid around 8 tonnes of CO2 emissions in it’s first year of generation.

The system is powered by a SolarEdge inverter and optimisers making it not only generate more over a normal string inverter set up but also massively more safe due to its SafeDC on AC isolation and arc detection settings.

UT Power have a vast experience working on new build projects and helping with solar pv design, DNO connections and installation. We are happy to talk through projects and assist with any questions contractors have when needing a specialist Solar PV company.

UT Power provide an SMSTS qualified project manager for all their installations to ensure they go smoothly from planning to delivery and installation.

Bosworth Battlefield and Heritage Centre install PV

In January 2018, UT Power installed an 11kW Solar PV at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre in partnership with Bouygues Energy Services.


In January 2018, UT Power installed an 11kW Solar PV at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre in partnership with Bouygues Energy Services.

The system was designed to have as little visual impact on the site and included black monocrystalline solar panels and black mounting kit.

Project managed by Craig Tewley the site had a number of obstacles to overcome including a imitation slate tiled roof containing asbestos.  Under our roofers supervision the asbestos removal company took away a number of asbestos tiles to allow us to replace them and fit the roof hooks supplied by Solar Limpets.

The system is forecast to generate 9,835kWh and avoid 4.4 tonnes of CO2 emissions in it’s first year.  The savings on electricity for even this small size commercial system is over £34,000 over 20 years.

The system is fully optimised on the SolarEdge platform making it safe and also benefits from the additional yield given through the on roof electronics.

One Leisure Goes Solar with 30kW System & Improves Efficiency with LED Lighting

During the latter part of the summer, 2018, One Leisure St Neots have had 110 270W panels installed on their leisure center.  The system is a SolarEdge system optimised on P600 for full vision of how the system operates and to benefit from the range of safety and additional yield generation features.

The system is forecast to generate 27,915kWh and save 12.5 tonnes of CO2 in the first year.

SolarEdge Optimised panels give a minimum of a 2% yield increase, provide added safety features, panel level monitoring showing generation data, improved fault finding data and an extra two years on the inverter warranty. The optimisers allow the panels to perform independently and therefore the strings are not brought down to the lowest performing panel as in a traditional string inverter set up. Additionally any panel can work in any system meaning that if you need to replace a panel for any reason you would not need to find the specific sized panel to match the array. The system is classed as a SafeDC system as the panels are reduced down to 1 volt from ~35V in the event that the power to the inverter is shutdown. The inverters are also set up with arc detection so if overheating through arcing occurs then the inverter can shut down. This makes it one of the safest and most productive system on the market.

Peterborough School gets LED makeover, Heating Controls & New Solar PV Array

UT Power in partnership with Bouygues completed three important energy saving measures to a Peterborough School at the start of 2018.

The school had new heating controls to improve consumption on what was an on off system of electrical heaters, new LED lighting throughout and a 20kW Solar PV array.

The solar pv alone will save 8.3 tonnes of CO2 in the first year by generating a forecast 18,552kWh of renewable energy.

The LED installation on average will reduce the lighting bill by just over 50%.

The Solar PV system was designed as an East West system from Van Der Valk to achieve the required output on a tight fitting roof. This innovative solution allowed the client achieve the desired output whilst keeping costs down by not having to use multiple roofs. As usual for UT Power the system is set up on the SafeDC SolarEdge system for increased yield and safety.

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