Person using an Osprey electric car charging point at Shepherd Neame's Singleton Barn in Ashford

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Energy

Since October 2020 our brewery electricity contract has been with Drax Energy Solutions (formerly known as Haven Power), which uses 100% renewable energy sourced from sustainably-managed wood pellets along with wind, solar and hydro power. Total Energies supplies the majority of our retail pubs with electricity from 100% renewable sources.

Smart meters

To improve the accuracy of our energy management, we have installed smart electric automatic meter readers (AMRs) across our brewery and retail pub estate, and continue to roll out gas AMRs.

These link to an online portal showing the consumption by site at half-hour intervals, in order to enable us to identify areas for improvement and target our investment and training.

We continue to invest in state-of-the-art technologies to provide energy and emissions savings around our business. Focus areas include insulation, heating and hot water controls, refrigeration, kitchen extraction, water reduction, cellar work and lighting.

Energy Saviour programme

We are also undertaking trial projects to identify improvements which can be rolled out around the business.

As part of a major refurbishment of the cellar underneath the historic Jamaica Wine House in central London, we introduced an Energy Saviour programme that runs at night, allowing the cooler to be automatically turned off at regular intervals, saving energy and running costs, but continuing to keep everything at the right temperature.

Following the success of this project, a similar approach is being introduced at other sites.

Person charging their electric vehicle using an Osprey charging port at Shepherd Neame's Singleton Barn pub

Travel

The number of hybrid or electric cars in our fleet continues to increase, and we have installed electric car rapid charging facilities at six of our pubs: Singleton Barn in Ashford (pictured), Ship and Trades in Chatham Maritime, The Woolpack in Banstead, Surrey, The Wharf, Dartford, and The Blue Anchor in Crowborough.

The charging stations are being operated by Osprey Charging, which has a UK-wide rapid charging network for electric vehicles, powered by 100% renewable energy.

Shepherd Neame employee with flat packed cardboard boxes in the bottling plant of the Faversham brewery

Light and local

We have taken steps to remove road miles from our supply chain, including working with suppliers to find collaborative solutions to reduce carbon footprint by reducing delivery days.

And we remain focused on keeping packaging as lightweight and minimal as possible to reduce weight and volume during transit.

All the CO2 required for our production process is sourced locally from within Kent too. It is 100% green CO2, extracted from biogas produced by natural processes.

Creekside Gate at the Shepherd Neame brewery in Faversham

Our energy initiatives

A commitment to doing the right thing for our community, our people and our environment is at the heart of our strategy.

As part of our ambitious environment goals, we have pledged net zero carbon for direct emissions by 2030, and net zero for Scope 3 emissions no later than 2040.

Discover more about our energy-saving initiatives across the business.

Watch People, Pubs & Planet: Energy