Irthlingborough's Nene Business Centre to get 292 solar panels after £167,000 investment from SSG Contracts

A family-run contractor is reducing its emissions and energy usage with the installation of 292 solar panels at its managed site in Irthlingborough, supported by a £167,000 funding package from Lloyds Bank.

Headquartered in Shirley, Solihull, SSG Contracts provides a range of commercial services, including construction, refurbishment, maintenance, facilities management, warehousing and logistics.

The business serves customers across all sectors, including Amazon, Savills, and Jaguar Land Rover domestically, as well as in Europe, America and the UAE.

The contractor bought the Nene Business Centre in Station Road, Irthlingborough in December 2021 with the support of a £2.6m loan from Lloyds Bank, to provide office and warehousing space to its customers.

Now, as part of sustainability focused upgrades to the building, SSG Contracts secured £167,000 of new funding and is installing a system of 292 solar panels on the roof, capable of producing 120 kilowatts of electricity each hour.

The panels are the result of a Carbon Insight Report conducted for SSG Contracts by Lloyds Bank, which helped the business calculate its carbon footprint and identify where investment can have the most significant impact on reducing emissions.

The new solar panels are expected to save the business 24 tonnes of CO2 per year, and up to £38,500 in energy.

The new system will produce enough electricity throughout summer to meet the site’s full energy demand and generate enough surplus to return to the grid.

The business eventually hopes to install batteries on-site to store the energy produced for use overnight or in winter, allowing the site to become 100 per cent energy self-sufficient.

Other environmental upgrades at the site include replacing all warehouse lighting with energy efficient LEDs, as well as planning to install electric vehicle charging points and introduce electric delivery vehicles in the future.

The business is also investigating fitting heat pumps.

The solar panels have been funded via Lloyds Bank’s Clean Growth Financing Initiative, which provides customers with access to discounted lending for green purposes.

The loan will also fund the planned installation of solar panels at its head office in Solihull.

The £21m turnover business currently employs 60 people and aims to double its turnover and headcount in the next two years.

John Fitzgerald, director of SSG Contracts, said: “We are focused on the future and driving sustainable growth of the business.

"The Carbon Insight Report from Lloyds Bank has helped us identify where our investments can have the most impact on cutting our emissions, setting us on a clear path to reducing our environmental impact.”

Paul Warrington, relationship director at Lloyds Bank, said: “We’ve been working with SSG Contracts for almost 15 years, supporting them with various projects to help drive their growth, including the acquisition and subsequent sustainability focused refurbishment of Nene Business Centre.

“We’re proud to work with local businesses such as SSG Contracts, which prioritise sustainable growth, while supporting others in their sector to do the same.”