ICP Networks have revealed the secrets behind their £1 million global base – dubbed the ‘Greenest IT HQ’ in Britain to The Guardian newspaper.
Managing Director Matt Archer shared his ‘green dream’ with The Guardian’s Kitty Dann and explained how his company protect the environment – and make money from it.
ICP Networks are one of the UK’s largest supplier of new and and recycled networking equipment from leading lines such as CISCO, Avaya and HP.
They celebrated their tenth anniversary last summer with a move to a £1 million global headquarters in Cheshire, a building they designed from the ground up.
Greenest IT HQ in Britain
Matt Archer and his team set about creating the ‘Greenest IT HQ in Britain’ establishing a building that considered the environment at every level.
“It was a challenging project but a year on and we are already seeing the benefits both financially and in terms of the attention it has bought for the business,” Matt explained.
“We produced more than three times the amount of energy we required as a business last year, enabling us to sell the excess back to the grid – ensuring that ICP Networks had no bills to pay and received around £6,000 from our supplier E-On.
“It doesn’t take a genius to work out that clearly makes sense and whilst the initial investment was considerable it will not take long before it has paid for itself.
“We took the decision to project manage the build ourselves, transforming an empty shell into a state of the art global headquarters that allows us to provide a first class service for our customers around the world, whilst also protecting the environment.”
Solar Panel
ICP Network’s global HQ includes a stunning 50kWp solar panel installation, the largest in the North West as well as a heat recovery system, modern light fittings with sensors to ensure no energy is wasted.
Their work has received huge praises and prompted their nomination by Cheshire East for the LABC Building Excellence awards where they were crowned regional finalists.
MP David Rutley officially opened the building and has publicly praised their work whilst a number of media outlets including The Guardian have featured their story.
Matt added: “We are very proud of what we have achieved and if we can help others to do the same, protect the environment and save costs, we are delighted to do so.
“We know the IT industry has received criticism in the past for having a negative effect on the environment, well, we are here to change that perception and show that the IT industry can be green and profitable at the same time.”