Helping combat climate change

Sustainability has been a steadily growing consumer trend for several years and climate change is now more important than ever to the natural world and human society. 

At Dependon we are actively looking to operate in an environmentally friendly way and to reduce our carbon footprint by setting ourselves targets and taking actions such as:

• • Installing energy efficient lighting in the offices

• • Sourcing from local companies to reduce carbon emissions and pollution in our supply chain

• • Buying from responsible suppliers to maximise recyclable packaging

• • Tracking our fleet of vehicles to enable carbon offset by job

We are using the Carbon Trusts SME Carbon Footprint Calculator to calculate our carbon footprint in order to set targets for improvement and move towards accreditation as a carbon neutral company. We have registered with Ecologi, an environmental organisation featured on Dragons Den, and together with them we are starting to off-set our carbon footprint. Every time one of our customers pays their bill, Ecologi funds tree planting to offset the carbon involved in that job.

For our Dependon customers we offer affordable sustainability solutions for every home and can help you become more energy efficient by installing the latest smart technology such as Nest or Hive. This year we are also  likely to see a big focus on water-efficient products as the Government fleshes out its policy plans to reduce domestic water consumption. Sustainable bathroom products are becoming more mainstream and with smart water meters homeowners are more aware of their water consumption than ever.

Design-led dual-flushing WCs that use less water than ever and stylish taps and showers fitted with flow regulators and aerators are now readily available and thanks to innovation, low-flow showerheads perform just as well, if not better than traditional showerheads, all while using less water.

Our plumbers have undergone training on renewable energy sources such as ground and air source heat pumps which will provide cleaner heating for your home and with a government grant you could save £5,000 on your installation. Replacing a traditional gas, oil or solid fuel system with heat pump technology can significantly reduce carbon emissions and energy usage – and of course it is about 27% cheaper to run meaning an annual saving for the average household of £261.

There is of course a balance to be had between efficient insulation and good ventilation to ensure good indoor air quality as on average we spend 90% of our time indoors. Primary sources of indoor air pollutants are smoking, heating, cooking, cleaning and DIY with poor air quality being linked to allergies, asthma and much more. Our electricians are fully versed on new ventilation technology to maximise performance rates and ensure good air quality in your home whilst retaining energy efficiency.

For your decorating needs we are promoting Graphenstone paint whose price point is similar to Farrow and Ball as they boast a new ecological, natural and healthy range of paints made with a lime base.

When installing boiling water taps we recommend Quooker as Quooker are an environmentally responsible supplier who have just implemented an electric fleet for all their engineers.

By making lots of small changes, together we can make a big difference.