Oasis Services is planning to introduce electric vehicle charging with a forecourt pole highlighting the cost, as part of a far-reaching action plan to make its site more environmentally-friendly.
As well as installing two charging bays by the end of the year, the Gulf/Spar forecourt is also in the process of fitting solar panels onto its canopy and convenience store building, at a cost of around £35,000, together with battery storage, to reduce its reliance on the grid.
And the business, run by father and son team Malcom and Oliver Blake in Long Riston, Hull, is the first petrol station operator to trial an energy reduction consultancy service which Certas is developing with Equity Energies.
Director Oliver Blake says that although his business is in the fortunate position of being locked into an electricity contract paying 10p a unit for the next two and a half years, he wants to cut down on any unnecessary electricity use to protect both the planet and the forecourt’s bottom line.
He hopes that by embarking on a net zero plan with the Certas initiative, which includes six weeks of monitoring, he will be given further ideas to make savings.
“I’m really interested to see what they come up with,” he says. “In the past year we have changed all our lighting within and outside our store to LED, and have installed sensors to turn off lighting when it is not needed. But like most convenience stores we have loads of shop lighting to make goods well presented. I wonder if we have gone a bit overkill. It is maybe something we should be looking at with Spar.”
In the past year the business, which prides itself on its efforts to improve the environment, has also been planting hawthorn hedges and conifers around the site to help with wildlife. It has also for many years used recycled water for its car wash.
“Environmental responsibility forms such an important part of our business, and it is something that consumers are increasingly taking notice of,” says Oliver.
