Royal Mail delivers plans for over 300 green upgrade projects

Royal Mail has this week set out plans to deliver more than 300 green upgrades to heating, lighting and water systems across its estate as part of its strategy to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.

The company estimates improvements, such as motion sensor lighting, centrally controlled heating and water systems, and gas-free heating systems, will save 3,500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year.

Royal Mail’s property estate consists of more than 1,200 operational sites and offices across the UK, which currently account for around eight per cent of its total emissions.

Over the next year, a number of these sites will switch to air source heat pumps and heat networks, while Royal Mail has also pledged to upgrade existing boilers to new, more efficient versions as it continues to explore the most suitable long-term low carbon options for its estate.

As part of the upgrade programme, almost 100 sites are to also receive complete LED lighting upgrades, including the addition of motion sensors. The efficiency improvements are expected to reduce emissions and free up grid capacity at each site for potential use by electric vehicle charge points or electric heating solutions in the future.

In addition, more than 120 sites will have their heating systems upgraded so they can be controlled centrally by new building energy management systems, while up to 80 sites will receive water efficiency improvements such as urinal controls.

“Our property estate is one of the largest in the country and it plays an important role in helping us meet our goal of being net zero by 2040,” said Stuart Hookins, Royal Mail director of property and facilities solutions. “Effective energy management, new building technologies and investment in our portfolio and assets are key to unlocking the improvements we need to achieve our objectives.”

The latest measures are part of Royal Mail’s ‘Steps to Zero’ strategy to achieve net zero a decade ahead of the UK government’s 2050 target and halve Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.

According to its latest update, the company has already reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 18 per cent since 2020 and claims to have the lowest emissions per parcel of any courier operating in the UK at 200g CO2e.

The announcement of new heating, lighting and water upgrades also follows a number of new green measures unveiled earlier this year.

In July, for example, Royal Mail said it would halve the number flights it operates in the UK by discontinuing 18 domestic air freight journeys over the next year – a move it estimated would help to save around 30,000 tonnes of CO2.

Later that same month, the courier set out plans to add thousands more electric vans to its fleet over the coming year.

Moreover, Royal Mail chalked off a major milestone in its fleet decarbonisation journey in May by announcing it has used over 10 million litres of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil fuel in its heavy goods vehicles – saving more 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent since June 2023. And more recently it revealed it has met a 2030 target for a 25 per cent reduction in waste volumes seven years early.

In related news, public sector facilities management firm Amey this week revealed that it had installed energy-efficient LED lighting in 430 cells at HMP Leeds to replace outdated and inefficient fittings.

The LED lights were manufactured by prisoners at HMP Garth in Lancashire as part of a scheme to equip ex-offenders with skills and ensure they are ‘job-ready’ upon release.

Since 2021, Amey has delivered 16 similar LED programmes across the UK’s prison estate under its Hard FM contract with the Ministry of Justice. To date, the project has achieved annual savings of 45 tonnes of CO2, £89,000 in energy costs, and 223,500 kWh in energy demand.

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