Positive Climate Action: What NMJ is doing For The Environment
At NMJ, we see craftsmanship and sustainability going hand in hand. So, while creating high-quality, handcrafted timber doors and windows, we also need to go further towards reducing our environmental impact. Over the past few years, and especially since we moved into our larger premises, we’ve done what we can to reduce our energy use, lower carbon emissions, and work in a more sustainable way. Here’s a closer look at what we’re doing to take positive action against climate change.
Proudly powered by solar
One of the biggest investments we’ve made over the last year is the addition of solar energy panels on our roof. We’re now the proud owners of a 60kW Solis S5-GC60K inverter connected to 120 state-of-the-art JA Solar monocrystalline solar panels.
Installed by local company Dartmoor Energy, these panels produce enough carbon-free energy to power all our machinery and equipment. On top of that, it also allows us to use an updated and even more efficient system to heat our office and meeting room spaces, making a real difference, especially now we’ve added wall insulation for added efficiency.
Using this system will produce a massive 56,484kWh of clean electricity each year, massively reducing our need for fossil fuel-generated energy. And by switching to solar power, we’re cutting roughly 26,540kg of CO2 emissions each year too.
While this is great news for us and the planet, during the summer, we’ll probably be generating more electricity than we use. When that happens, we sell it back to the grid to help supply homes and businesses in Tavistock, making us a very small, clean energy power station!
And, taking our energy efficiency one step further, we’ve recently added brise soleil shading onto our factory. These angled slats, fitted to the outside of the building, are designed to reduce solar gain, or ‘G-value’, by reducing the amount of direct sunlight coming through the windows, helping to keep our indoor spaces cooler in summer.
Sustainable and energy-efficient products
Because we’re committed to being as sustainable as possible wherever we can, that also includes the materials we use. Many of you will know we use Accoya timber for our doors and windows, and it’s our preferred material to use because of its exceptional thermal efficiency, durability, and low environmental impact.
Compared to traditional hardwoods, Accoya has a longer lifespan of at least 50 years above ground (and 25 years underground) when used, outlasting its cultivated alternatives. It’s also more sustainable. Starting life as a pine tree from managed forests and harvested after around 30 years, the raw timber is cut and then modified with an acetylation process to become super strong Accoya.
This means our handcrafted timber doors and windows can reduce the need for natural wood and more deforestation.
All of our timber products can also be coated with water-based spray paints, which are less harmful than solvent-based paints. With fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs), water-based spray paints have low odour and are environmentally friendly, having fewer pollutants.
Beyond our sustainable Accoya timber window frames, we also use specialist glazing to make every window as energy-efficient as possible. All of our window units now feature thermally efficient, low-emissivity (Low-E) glass. This glazing reduces heat loss and helps maintain indoor temperatures, helping you reduce energy bills.
What about any Accoya offcuts?
The Accoya timber we use is cut to the exact size for every unit, which means we have a lot of excess offcuts left over. So what happens to these offcuts? Well, because Accoya is completely non-toxic, in the past, we would collect and use them as clean fuel for the woodburning stove in our workshop.
However, as Accoya is also 100% recyclable, we’re now part of Accoya’s Offcuts Programme. We simply collect all offcuts – long, thin pieces, profile offcuts, and larger offcuts – and bag them up ready for collection by Accoya. They then go back into the system to be repurposed into modified wood timber Tricoya boards (think MDF but more eco-friendly).
Accoya says, “The programme is a great example of the circular economy in action through a controlled system to upcycle offcuts into high-performance Tricoya boards.”
Cutting vehicle emissions
A key part of our service includes travelling to carry out site surveys and also to complete our window and door installations. When we cover the whole of the South West and often travel across the country, you can imagine our diesel emissions can be higher than most.
To help combat this, we’ve invested in two new vans that have been equipped with AdBlue technology. AdBlue is a non-toxic liquid of water and Urea and works by converting oxide emissions from diesel engine exhaust gas into nitrogen and water. Another filter then helps reduce solid particulates from the exhaust pipe emissions, resulting in cleaner air.
On top of that, we’re trying to reduce the need for unnecessary initial or repeat site visits. We’re doing this by encouraging customers to send or share detailed project documents and information with us upfront. It’s a pretty simple step, but an effective one which definitely reduces emissions – and mileage.
While we’re proud of everything we’ve already achieved, we know there’s always more to do and will always look to find new ways to operate more sustainably. So, what are our next steps? Thanks to our much larger factory space, we have now purchased our first electric forklift truck, which will be safer, more efficient, and more versatile while having zero emissions.
What about our next steps?
One longer-term project for NMJ to benefit from is a sustainable, green heating system so we can move away from our electric heating. The system will use timber offcuts and waste byproducts (sawdust and shavings) and provide heat throughout our premises. It’s fairly costly to set up and install, but while a little way off, this is definitely on the cards to complete within our current five-year plan.
Go green with NMJ
Taking positive action on the climate is a joint effort, and together, we can deliver a lasting impact on the planet, from the government and businesses down to each individual. By handcrafting energy-efficient windows and doors and running our business as sustainably as possible, we hope to encourage our customers to do the same in their homes.
If you’re interested in learning more about the sustainable actions we’ve put in place or want to find out how our handcrafted doors and windows can help improve your own energy efficiency, call us on 01822 615 010, email us at info@nathanmccarter.co.uk, or send us a message today.