Sustainability Makeover

After attending a UTILISE Workshop, Ahead to Toe Hair and Beauty Salon in Littlehampton has reduced both its electricity and gas use by 20%, helping them win the local business association Green Business of the Year Award.

Owner Celia Thomson started with quick win efficiency measures which will pay back their capital cost in less than three years. She updated the salon’s lighting by replacing incandescent lamps and halogen spotlights with compact fluorescents and LEDs and T12 fluorescent tubes with T5 tubes. Celia was especially pleased with the light quality of the LEDs and that they do not produce the amount of heat that the halogen spotlights emitted. Coupled with encouraging staff members to switch off appliances after use, Ahead to Toe have reduced their electricity consumption by 20%. By researching and comparing tariffs, Celia was also able to reduce the cost of their electricity supply. This was despite switching to a ‘green’ tariff (which reduced the salon’s CO2 emissions by 1.6 tonnes). New tariff and efficiency measures combined, Ahead to Toe are enjoying annual savings of £160 off their electricity bills.

Celia then turned her attention to the salon’s gas use for heating and hot water. She fitted draft proofing round windows and doors and insulated the loft. Together with better control of their boiler and heating system, these measures reduced Ahead to Toe’s gas consumption by 4,000 kWh per year, saving £120 and 0.8 tonnes CO2 emissions.