ETL Systems

ETL Systems is based on a 3-acre campus next to the BT Madley Satellite Earth Station and is a leader in radio frequency design and manufacturing - building essential elements of critical satellite communications infrastructure. It's picked up three Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in International Trade, with 75 percent of NATO Governments and the top 20 satellite operators and teleports in the world using its products. The company's Corporate Compliance Manager Rebecca Lyons explains why they signed up to be part of the Greener Footprints network.

We know the key to energy saving here is to look for ways to operate our equipment at optimum efficiency. For the last four years, we've been working with an external consultant to collect and analyse data on energy usage. Out of that we've developed a reduction road map which includes actions we can take to save energy and reduce our carbon footprint. There are a whole raft of initiatives helping us do this. They've included investment in solar PV so we're creating our own energy source (it’s meeting about 40 percent of the electricity demand for our main buildings across the summer months), installation of LED lights for our car park, and opening up conversations with key suppliers on emissions reduction. In January 2024, we installed a Visible Energy Monitoring System which allows the company to monitor electricity consumption and break down the energy use of key equipment and plant facilities.  

In a big company like ours you become so used to machines running it is easy not to see or even hear them and so not realise the energy you are using. We wanted to change that. This new system shows us what we're using in which buildings and so signposts areas where we can make savings - for example by powering down equipment when not in use, or adjusting settings on air conditioning units to switch off a couple of hours earlier. At first the purchase of VEMS felt like a risk - it was a big investment and after investing in renewables we thought we were doing everything we could. But what the VEMS showed us felt like hitting gold. The energy savings have been significant.

Staff have really got involved with our ambitions around energy. There are initiatives like our Green Travel Scheme which promotes active travel and car sharing to reduce commuting emissions. But when they're here they can see the figures on energy saving so it's not pie in the sky but rather something they can relate to and influence. And they frequently come up with ideas about changes we could try. It feels like we are all united around the goals and excited about what we're seeing and what is possible.

We really benefit from being part of the Greener Footprints network. The webinars have proved so useful, and the chance to share ideas and collaborate with other companies, across different sectors, is fantastic. We know everyone is on the same journey and everyone is learning from each other.