EA Technology has committed itself to becoming one of the first carbon neutral businesses in the North West.

The company, a world leader in developing and implementing products and services to enable power networks to become safer, more reliable and cost effective, has launched its own ‘Carbon Action Plan’.

The seven stage plan will help the Capenhurst headquartered company to commit to its sustainability goals, including energy saving, more efficient heating systems and a low carbon vehicle policy.

The company is expecting to reduce its electricity usage from the National Grid and instead generate 40,000 kWh per year from its new solar panel installation, saving £6,500 in the first year.

Any excess electricity it produces will be diverted to battery storage, used to charge employees’ electric vehicles or fed back into its Capenhurst Technology Park site.

Installing LED lights will reduce annual electricity costs by £10,000, save more than 300 kWh daily and slash the carbon dioxide equivalent from 20 tonnes to nine tonnes per year.

A range of further carbon saving initiatives will also be rolled out including installing free electric vehicle charging points on site to encourage staff to go green and looking at a number of cost effective, carbon minimising ways of heating the buildings, including ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps and hybrid systems.

Robert Davis, chief executive of EA Technology which has offices in seven locations including China, the Middle East, Singapore, Australia and the United States, said: “Electric battery storage, electric vehicles and local generation of electricity through the likes of PV, turbines and biomass are changing the face of the energy landscape for ever.

“As a business, it is the perfect opportunity for us to become more self-sufficient in meeting our energy needs.

“Our Carbon Action Plan will give us a modern, integrated, low carbon footprint and we expect to see our emissions reduce year on year with immediate effect as well as delivering the company financial savings.

“We have carried out a full energy consumption audit of the company looking at everything from encouraging staff to turn off lighting when it’s not needed to creating designated electric charging points in our car parks.

“In the next four years, we predict our people will drive to work in a hybrid or electric car, which will be far cheaper to tax and run. They will plug it in and we will use their batteries to power the company when electricity charges are at their peak. When it dips, we will power up their cars for free.

“As a company, we care about the planet and we want to do everything possible to lead the way in going green.”

In the Budget, the Government unveiled a £540million package of support for electric vehicle (EV) technologies.

Chancellor Philip Hammond also announced a range of taxes designed to encourage people to buy more environmentally friendly vehicles and revealed that charging an electric car at work will not be subject to a benefit in kind tax. There will also be £400m for charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.