Member Article

Self-storage specialists Space Station plough £550k into green initiatives

Greater London-based self-storage firm, Space Station, is reaping the benefits of its recent six-figure green investment initiative after enjoying a significant reduction in its energy costs.

The Slough firm, who also have warehouses in Uxbridge and Birmingham, has spent £550k kitting its depots out with LED light bulbs, 850 solar panels and motion detection sensors as its aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% over the next five years.

The £100k expenditure on LEDs, £400k on solar panels and a £50,000 investment in a wind turbine for its Chiswick branch is already paying dividends for Space Station, saving the company £10,000 per year, a 75% reduction, on electricity bills and cutting 120 tonnes of CO2 output.

It also means that the business generates 50% of the energy it uses through its solar panels and other renewable sources.

Kevin Prince, Chief Executive Officer at Space Station, commented: “Self storage as an industry is environmentally ­friendly, it’s all about giving you the space to keep and reuse things rather than sending them to landfill.

“We’ve been focusing on our green initiatives since 2008 but understand there is still work to be done to reap the full benefits that eco-­friendly technologies can offer our business.

Kevin attributed the falling costs of green technology options as one of the key reasons why the storage business has been able to embrace more eco-friendly solutions.

He said: “It is important to say that the cost of solar panels has come down substantially in the last few years, as has the cost of LED lights, so the initial outlay would be reduced for any new entrants.”

Space Station has also made moves to reduce cardboard waste after tapping up a packing box supplier which provides recycled cardboard boxes, and offering customers crate hire as an alternative to traditional cardboard boxes.

“We’re proud of the work we have done towards our carbon reduction goal so far and how our green programme has been embraced by employees,” Kevin added.