I’m pleased that Evens & Co have taken positive steps on the back of the advice provided by Business Wales to make the building more energy efficient and sustainable, and providing the staff with a great working environment.
Richard Easton, Portfolio Executive
Evens & Co are a Welsh firm of registered auditors and chartered accountants whose model of service is problem-solving, exploiting opportunities and turning advice into action.
Incorporated in 1992, they have become one of the leading west Wales accountancy practices at the forefront of advising private clients and business owners.
Recently, the business signed up to the Green Growth Pledge, allowing them to take active steps to become more sustainable.
Making positive change
In 2021 we gave property company Emlyn Ltd £300,000 to buy and refurbish the Town Hall in Milford Haven. Following the refurbishment, Evens & Co bought the Old Town Hall building as office accommodation, creating much-needed additional office space for their staff, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when staff were office-based.
Following this, we introduced Evens & Co Ltd to a Sustainability Adviser at Business Wales, who helped them on their journey to reduce their carbon footprint through their Green Growth Pledge.
The pledge helps Welsh businesses take proactive steps to:
- Improve sustainability
- Demonstrate their positive impact on the people and places around them
- Join a growing community of forward-thinking organisations who are helping Wales transition to a low carbon future.
It offers a range of practical actions that can be taken, such as:
- Reducing vehicle use
- Increasing water and energy-efficiency
- Working with responsible suppliers who will help companies become more efficient, decarbonise and win new business.
When signing up to the Green Growth Pledge, Evens & Co were asked to commit to one or more positive actions that help reduce their carbon footprint and impact on the environment, while ensuring sustainable performance.
Four ways Evens & Co reduced their carbon footprint
In October 2020, Evens & Co started looking at reducing their carbon emissions by lowering energy consumption and combating heat loss. This would improve energy-efficiency and increase the productive of workers for the business.
1. Updated heating system
The first stage of their decarbonisation efforts was to replace the old cast iron diesel boiler system with a new gas system, supplemented by air source. They also replastered the whole south side of the building with new thermal material to help with heat retention.
The thermal insulation reduces heat movements and vapour condensation which prevents humidity, mould, freezing, building deformation and weakening of iron parts due to corrosion which helps to preserve the building. As well as helping retain heat, these steps reduced their noise pollution levels.
By investing in an improved heating system, improved thermal insulation and benefitting in energy savings, Evens & Co were able to increase and expand the productive area of the building. This brought part of the redundant building back to life and gave staff extra space.
2. New lighting system
The old lighting system was replaced with new low power LED lighting which reduced consumption, saved money, and provided a better working environment for staff.
3. Updated radiator valves
Old radiator valves were replaced with thermostatic vales to save energy in both buildings, with work underway on pipe lagging and loft insulation to help their energy efficiency.
4. Secondary glazing system
The secondary glazing system has reduced the amount of heat lost through the windows and has lowered the noise levels from passing traffic.
Richard Easton, Portfolio Executive at Development Bank of Wales, said: “Our investment gave Evens & Co much-needed additional office space for the business.
“I’m pleased that Evens & Co have taken positive steps on the back of the advice provided by Business Wales to make the building more energy efficient and sustainable, and providing the staff with a great working environment.“
What is next for Evens & Co?
The team at Evens & Co has put together a decarbonisation strategy to help reduce their carbon footprint even further by looking at:
- Extending product life cycles through repair
- Refurbishing computer and office equipment, while co-owning, licensing and sharing products across their sites
- Sourcing locally
- Optimise supply chains
- Local recruitment so staff can walk to work
If you're interested in finding out how your business could become more sustainable, visit our Green Business Loan Scheme page.
