Scottish campus given a renewable energy boost with introduction of biomass boilers

25th September 2013: Sky has reinforced its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint thanks to the installation of four biomass boilers at its Livingston contact centre. 

The biomass boiler was officially opened on Wednesday 25th September by Sky Chairman, Nick Ferguson, in a small ceremony also attended by Bruno Berardelli and Councillor Tom Conn, Chair of the Environment Policy Development & Scrutiny Panel for West Lothian. 

The installation of the biomass boilers at Livingston will generate renewable energy to provide heat and hot water for the 2,500 staff based on-site in the most efficient manner possible.

The biomass boilers, which will be fuelled by locally-sourced forestry off-cuts, are expected to reduce the carbon output of the site by approximately 500 tonnes per year - the equivalent of four million car miles or 250 flights from Edinburgh to Las Vegas.

This is the latest investment from the business in reducing carbon emissions and will help towards meeting Sky’s ambitious targets aimed at halving its emissions relative to turnover by 2020. It is expected the new boilers will reduce the footprint of the Livingston campus by  10 per cent.

Fiona Ball, Head of Environment at Sky, said: “We’re really excited to see the biomass boilers go into action. They will produce an environmentally friendly and sustainable form of energy which will reduce the site’s reliance on natural gas significantly.”

“The reduction in our carbon footprint at Livingston will contribute to Sky’s overall environmental targets. Playing our part in helping to protect the environment is key to Sky being a responsible business.”

Fergus Ewing, Scottish Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism Energy Minister, said:
“The Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets are among the most ambitious in the world. I welcome Sky's commitment to reducing its carbon emissions and the installation of new biomass boilers at Livingston supplying renewable heat and hot water for 2500 staff. These biomass boilers, installed by a Scottish company, the biomass specialist HWEnergy, will help contribute to Scotland’s transition to a low carbon economy. Sustainable biomass provides huge opportunities for the people of Scotland – jobs in construction, jobs in the plants and along the forest supply chain, as well as reducing  emissions and energy bills.”

The small and compact boilers, installed by HWEnergy, run on locally sourced biomass – Forestry Commission off cuts - to heat up a large tank of water.

Since 2005, a variety of environmental initiatives, including energy usage monitors and water reduction schemes have been introduced in Livingston.

The installation of the biomass boilers at the Livingston site follows the recent installation of a biomass boiler at the Dunfermline customer Contact Centre and a wind turbine and CCHP (Combined Cooling Heating and Power) plant at the company’s headquarters in West London.

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For further information and pictures contact:
Joanna Wilson 01698-787847/ 07786528797 joanna.wilson@onlybeattie.com
Hazel Clare 01698-782557/ 07740 771108    hazel.clare@onlybeattie.com

Notes to editors:
In 2006, Sky became the world’s first carbon neutral media company. Since then, it has set ambitious environmental targets including halving its gross emissions relative to revenue, and for all Sky-owned sites to obtain 20% of their energy from on-site renewable sources by 2020 versus a 2008/09 baseline.

About Sky 
Sky employs over 5,700 people in its Scottish contact centres (Livingston, Dunfermline, Uddingston) and has a 6,430 strong total number of Sky employees in Scotland, which is 28% of its whole UK workforce.

Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company.  Around 40% of all homes have a direct relationship with Sky through its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services.

Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.5 billion a year in channels such as Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky News.   Around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend is invested in the UK and Sky is the fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes. More than 30 million people watch Sky content each week.

Alongside its commitment to offering customers a greater choice of high-quality content, Sky is a leading innovator.  Customers enjoy total control and flexibility over their favourite TV through Sky+, watch TV on the move through Sky Go, and enjoy the best quality TV experience at home through High Definition and 3D.

Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates by taking positive action on the environment, supporting grassroots sports and increasing access to, and participation in, the arts.  Sky employs 24,000 people, has annual revenues of £7.2 billion and is estimated to support a £5.4 billion contribution to UK GDP.  Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY). 

About HWEnergy
HWEnergy has a team of 50 people and has been specialising in biomass heating for over 10 years. Projects range from the design, installation and commissioning of small district heating schemes to large hospitals with over 200 successful projects completed to date.

A wholly owned Scottish company, HWEnergy provides services throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK. The company has its headquarters in Fort William and a second office in the north of England. Installation teams, service engineers and fuel supply are based locally.

The company has won numerous specialist awards and is accredited by all major bodies. They were the first to received RHI accreditation in Scotland and are the only company to have introduced a Wood Fuel Price Index to guarantee transparent pricing. They are ranked number one in the tender exercise to identify framework companies for the Scottish Government Biomass Energy Supply Agreement framework for the public and third sector and number one in the tender exercise for the NHS Scotland Carbon and Energy Reduction Framework. They are an active voice in the renewable energy sector.