As part of Net Zero Week, we're highlighting how energy-intensive manufacturers are cutting both costs and carbon. Hinton Perry & Davenhill (Dreadnought Tiles & Ketley Brick) shows what's possible when a 200-year-old business takes a close look at how it uses energy.

Founded in 1805 and manufacturing clay roof tiles on the same site ever since, Dreadnought Tiles fires kilns and dryers to peak temperatures of 1,130°C. That makes energy a major cost, and recent volatility in the energy market hit the business hard.

Pro Enviro carried out a site-wide energy review focused on decarbonisation, cutting energy costs and improving efficiency. The review found the site understood its overall, site-wide energy use well, but had far less visibility at a micro level, with usage from individual motors, kilns and dryers largely unknown. It also recognised that a significant amount of heat generated by the kilns was going unused. Recovering that waste heat remains the biggest untapped opportunity on site, and early-stage work is now under way to explore how it could be put to use - including the possibility of supplying a local heat network among other areas.

That review has since translated into action. Several measures identified through the assessment have now been implemented across the site:

Automated Monitoring & Targeting system: 540,767 kWh, 100.52 tonnes of CO2e and £34,800/year.
Repairing compressed air leaks and improving compressor shed ventilation: 30,240 kWh, 6.81 tonnes of CO2e and £5,440/year.
New combustion air fan inverter: 76,000 kWh, 17.15 tonnes of CO2e and £15,000/year.
Combustion air fan venting on the shuttle kilns: 102,500 kWh, 18.75 tonnes of CO2e and £3,200/year.
Insulating the fitting shed: 320,000 kWh, 58.40 tonnes of CO2e and £10,000/year.
Kiln refurbishments and insulation: 1,028,232 kWh, 188.09 tonnes of CO2e and £44,617/year.
Pulse firing conversion: 750,800 kWh, 138.75 tonnes of CO2e and £35,000/year.
370 kWp solar PV system: 350,000 kWh, 165.91 tonnes of CO2e and £59,352/year.

Together, the implemented measures are now saving Hinton Perry & Davenhill more than 3.19 million kWh, 694 tonnes of CO2e and £207,400 every year, backed by over £1 million of combined business investment and grant funding in energy efficiency.

The aM&T system is also changing how the site understands its firing process. Working with Pro Enviro, HPD has built a database of the energy consumed per set brick and tile, broken down by product and kiln. Every firing is analysed against comparable firings, like for like on product type and colour, so inconsistencies stand out that would stay hidden in site-wide averages. That analysis is already showing where individual kilns run above their peers, giving the site a targeted list of where to look next.

"Pro Enviro's experience and connections in this world has been valuable" - Alex Patrick-Smith, Executive Chairperson, Dreadnought Tiles

It's a reminder that even long-established, energy-intensive manufacturers can find significant savings once they know exactly where their energy is going.