Based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, QPSL produces polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and aluminium products for the construction industry, including flooring, insulated building products, window and door components, and bespoke extruded PVC solutions.
As a manufacturer, QPSL has long been aware of its impact on the planet and has maintained a comprehensive environmental management system (certified to the ISO 14001 standard) since 2013.
The business has also been working with specialist sustainability advisors since 2012 to improve energy efficiency, minimise waste and reduce carbon emissions.
“Solar is a no-brainer”
The wide variety of measures taken to reduce energy consumption over the past decade range from upgraded compressors and chillers to LED lighting and improved process controls. As a result, the amount of power required to process one tonne of QPSL’s PVC product reduced by 15 per cent between 2013 and 2021.
The next improvement on the to-do list for 2022 was a refurbished roof and solar PV array to generate clean electricity on-site, providing protection from rapidly rising energy costs in the process.
QPSL engaged the services of Green Economy member Perfect Sense Energy (PSE) to design and install a 558kW solar system after visiting a fellow manufacturer nearby that had also worked with PSE to add solar to its roof. “Increased energy costs have started to hit us badly,” says Product Manager, Dr. Diane Luther. “We first looked into installing solar in 2018, but at the time it was a payback of about 6 years. It’s a no-brainer now.”
