Environment

As a manufacturer and supplier of power solutions we closely follow the latest trends in energy efficiency, sustainable and decentralized power generation, and we try to set an example. The combination of our mini-CHP (small cogeneration unit) with electrical mobility which we have named our “Heat-Power-Mobility Concept” has been selected as a case of good practice by the Cogeneration Observatory and Dissemination Europe (CODE).

EVW’s approach, meanwhile taken on board by the Flemish Living Lab for Electrical Mobility (Flemish Government), the Climate Ligue of the City of Ghent, VITO and other research institutions, actually is the practical application of “doing more with less”.
As a matter of fact we had observed the energy consumed by our car fleet was 7 times higher than our regular electric power consumption and slightly higher than our heat consumption. To be able to save energy in this order of magnitude speaks to the imagination!
After we introduced a first electric vehicle in our fleet in 2010, we replaced two more motor vehicles with an Opel Ampera passenger car and a Renault Kangoo ZE van, both EV’s. Our target is to travel 10% of our corporate mileage electrically by 2015.

In 2010 we had an energy scan carried out by a Flemish Government agency. The scan demonstrated that the bulk of energy savings would be reached by the mini-CHP unit, but also that other areas could provide opportunities to save. One of them was lighting, which we took on board in the recent refurbishment of our premises, so that existing lighting was replaced with low energy alternatives such as LED and other eco lighting systems.

In 2011 EVW installed a rainwater catchment which allows us to use rainwater for cleaning and maintenance.

Surprisingly, our endeavour to reduce our footprint also led to an innovative solution with our suppliers. In 2012 we installed a spare part washing unit. For our supplier the tailor-made solution meant a scoop since it became his first product to use degradable cleansers and hot water supplied by a micro-CHP system. There is no used water discharge, since the system operates with an efficient filtering installation and a closed liquid tank. The liquid is refreshed only a few times a year when the effluent is collected for further treatment by an approved company.

For many years EVW has conducted a strict policy on waste. All waste flows (paper, oily waste, packaging, oil barrels, batteries, polluted water, metals, used engine oil, residual refuse) are formally managed. The waste recycling process used by the collection company is a parameter for selection.