Overview
Since being founded in 1997, MRH Retail has grown to become the UK’s largest independent fuel retailer, operating significant floor space at forecourts across the country. The company operates around 350 outlets under a variety of brands including BP, Texaco and Esso.
The Problem
Petrol retail is a low-margin business, which makes cutting costs and revenue diversification important.
Food and drink are now an integral part of the commercial offering at most fuel filling stations. But the array of choice available at the average forecourt means each site must install the necessary equipment to meet the demand for its extended retail offering. This means additional refrigeration, lighting and in some cases cooking equipment – causing electricity use at these sites to rise drastically.
Rising energy costs means that forecourts are under pressure to find efficiencies in their operation.
Our Solution
MRH has taken a pro-active approach, meeting energy challenges head on. The company replaced more than 4,000 incandescent bulbs, used ubiquitously across its estate, with modern, efficient LED lighting. The company also engaged powerPerfector to assess the suitability of MRH’s estate for voltage optimisation.
MRH chose to trial VPO® ahead of a wider rollout.
The Results
The savings of the trial were verified and found that average savings of 11.4% were achieved. This proved the concept and subsequently, 59 units were installed as part of phase one, with a second phase approved by MRH and awaiting installation.
The payback across those sites averages five years, demonstrating a long-term outlook to energy savings by the business.
