Staff at Redbridge Council have a brighter future thanks to the installation of a voltage optimisation system that has not only reduced its running costs and carbon footprint but also cut the number of office lights fusing on a regular basis.

The Voltis voltage optimiser from Marshall-Tufflex Energy Management has been installed in four locations across the council as part of a programme of energy efficiency measures implemented by the authority. Post installation the voltage of each location dropped by up to 25Volts.

This reduction had an instant and positive effect on lighting, as council Group Manager (Environment) John Mitchinson explained: “We had a problem with 10 to 15 lamps blowing a day, which has ceased. They are no longer stressed by high voltage and a surge in current when switched on. Poor lighting effects productivity of staff and Voltis has delivered an immediate improvement for us. Reducing the voltage has also had an impact on other electrical equipment downstream of the meters.”

The Etesia UK 'Green Technology' roadshow has reached its first pit-stop, bringing the turf maintenance machinery manufacturer's spring tour of the country to a successful conclusion.

The recent roadshows held at Merrist Wood College, Guildford and Edge Hill University, Lancashire in late March sandwiched an invitation to speak about environmentally-friendly grounds maintenance equipment at the Plant Network Conference held at the University of York.

Organised in conjunction with their UK dealers, the events were a hands-on, arrive and drive event for all existing and prospective Etesia and Pellenc customers to find out more about the new range of environmentally friendly grounds maintenance equipment and gain valuable advice from the Etesia and Pellenc expert's on-hand.

"The first series of roadshows was a great success," says Etesia UK's General Manager, Les Malin. "We were pleased to show off our latest launches which were the ETMower range of robotic mowers and the electric Bahia M2E, which were both well received by everyone in attendance. There also seemed to be a real buzz around our range of Pellenc battery-powered equipment and we've since received several orders".

Eco-friendly Midlands landlord whg will be in the pink after investing in the green credentials of homes.

The savvy provider has fitted photovoltaic panels to 12 low-rise blocks of flats in Streetly and Pheasey. The panels will generate electricity to power lighting in the communal areas of the blocks and additional energy will be sold to National Grid.

The sale will generate an estimated income for whg of around £450,000 over 25 years, demonstrating a four-fold return on investment.

Cliff Horrocks, whg Director of Asset Management, said: “It makes good business sense to invest in renewable technology. Not only will it reduce our carbon footprint, it has the potential to generate a quite significant non-rental income that we will plough back into homes and the community.”

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Walsall Council cabinet member for regeneration, said: “I’m delighted that whg is undertaking a green initiative in properties in Pheasey Park and across the Walsall borough.

Scotframe, the UK’s leading full kit manufacturer and supplier, has been granted approval by the British Board of Agrément for Val-U-Therm®, a new type of timber frame building panel which has the capacity to cut heating and energy bills to virtually zero.

The BBA certification, from one of the UK's most highly regarded construction industry approvals bodies, is a significant recognition for Val-U-Therm®, which is regarded as taking building methods into the 21st century.

The BBA’s Agrément Certificates are only awarded to a construction product or system after it has successfully passed a comprehensive assessment involving laboratory testing, on-site evaluations and inspections of production.

Scotframe was also audited ensure that a suitable quality management system was in place. Regular monitoring of the product manufacture by the BBA takes place twice a year with a full and comprehensive reassessment every three years.

Scotland’s Bridge of Weir Leather Company has been chosen as interior material supplier of choice to the critically acclaimed INFINITI EMERG-E concept car, revealed to the world for the first time today at the Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland.

Chosen for its unique brand of Low Carbon Leather, Bridge of Weir has supplied two grades of soft leather, in black and metallic champagne colours, to adorn the INFINITI EMERG-E interior’s characteristic flowing lines and sculpted edges. As a zero-emissions plug-in hybrid, the low carbon ethos shared by both INFINITI and Bridge of Weir made the fine Scottish leather a perfect fit for the Japanese premium brand’s most exciting design to date.

The LC Super Hybrid has been conceived by Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) and the Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC) to show that significant CO_² reduction can be achieved through electric hybridisation at low voltages (12-48 volts) using the latest lead-carbon batteries. The production-ready technology offers the potential of a mass market, petrol-powered, large family car with superb drivability, impressive performance and excellent 5.6 litres/100km (51mpg) fuel economy achieved at substantially lower cost than an equivalent diesel model. The low voltage technology enables aggressive yet near-term down-sizing and down-speeding of existing engine families.

New concept car will debut at Geneva Motor Show.  Inspiring design and innovative powertrain to make i-oniq a show star.  The most powerful demonstration of Hyundai’s ‘New Thinking’ to date

The first image of Hyundai’s new i-oniq concept car has been released today, showcasing new technology and design which present an impression of the company’s future thinking.

The i-oniq is an electric sports hatchback with a range-extending petrol engine. Intended to convey the latest thinking from Hyundai’s designers and engineers, the i-oniq evolves the company’s fluidic sculpture form language and represents bold ‘New Possibilities’ with its futuristic powertrain.

The world’s first ‘off-the-shelf’ electric van, the Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL, is now eligible for the Government’s new Plug-In Van Grant, reducing costs by 20%.

Each van qualifying for the Grant must emit less than 75g/km CO2, be capable of at least 60 miles between charges, more than 50mph and to ensure safety, be approved by ‘European Vehicle Type Approval’.

Run using 16 Lithium-ion battery modules that have a combined capacity of 36 kWh, the Vito E-CELL has a maximum range of 130km (80 miles) on a single six-hour charge from a 380/400 volt input. The electric motor has an output of 60 kW (82hp), with 280 Nm of torque and, taking into consideration the E-CELL’s usual area of operation and to facilitate the highest battery range possible, the top speed is limited to 80 km/h (50 mph).