Ryedale firm Ellis Patents' slashes its own energy bills through solar investment

Danny Macfarlane, Ellis Patents’ managing director.

Ryedale firm Ellis Patents has installed 173 new solar panels at its Rillington headquarters, meaning the cable cleat manufacturer has now invested more than £400,000 in solar power, with more than 400 panels now producing in excess of 250,000KwH per annum.

This investment equates to 50 per cent of Ellis’ energy bills being covered by solar generated power across the year.

Danny Macfarlane, Ellis Patents’ managing director, said: “The solar panels have been installed in three phases since 2020, and we have a fourth planned for 2024 that will see another 128 added.

"This will see us produce nearly 300,000kWH a year, which for a high energy using manufacturer like us, represents an enormous cost saving.”

Plugged in to the green agenda – Ellis Patents produces 50% of the power it needs through solar energy but also has banks of power points for electric vehicles (EVs).

The company’s green thinking hasn’t been confined to solar power, with those at the helm of the business long believing that going green isn’t an optional extra for manufacturers.

“We’ve grown significantly as a business since I joined in 2003, and as we’ve grown, we’ve done so in a manner that ensures we are as energy efficient as possible,” said Mr Macfarlane.

Ellis Patents has invested heavily in green initiatives over the past two decades – a period that has seen its headquarters expand by over 500 per cent

to 50,000 sq ft.

“At a time when many manufacturers are seeing huge increases in material and energy costs, we are so grateful that those early decisions to go green have helped not only save the environment, but secure a sustainable future for the business and its employees,” added Mr Macfarlane.