New tech will see Birmingham industrial unit benefit from zero electricity bills

Coleshill developer IM Properties has committed to using the latest cutting-edge technology to create the country’s first electrically cost neutral industrial and logistics space.

The technology could see Hub69 – a speculative unit in Birmingham – benefit from zero electricity bills.

IMP believes it is the first time anyone has combined photovoltaic panels with the latest battery technology in the UK. The combination will see Hub69 achieve an A+ energy performance certificate.

Construction of the 69,000 sq ft building is underway at The Hub, a 90-acre business park in Witton, and completion is expected in October.

The Hub is best known as the home of Birmingham’s new wholesale markets, and was acquired in Q1 2013, after IMP identified it as a key strategic location for internet retail, distribution and manufacturing-led uses. Tenants include Iron Mountain, Timet and the Engineering Employers Federation.

Hub69 will use solar charged photovoltaic panels to supply electricity straight to the building for immediate use. The battery can be solar charged or charged from the grid when electricity is cheaper to use during more expensive periods in a process known as peak shaving.

Kevin Ashfield, IMP’s UK development director said: “We’re keen to lead the market on sustainability and innovative use of this technology, which we believe will become commonplace in the industrial and logistics sector in the years to come.

“We are very excited about turning theory into reality by combining this technology. There is a general trend of increasing utility costs, which affects the bottom line of occupiers. Our first ECN building provides a carbon positive facility which will have long term cost savings for the occupier.”

IMP is one of the largest privately-owned property groups in the UK, with an investment and development portfolio of around £900m spread across the UK, Europe and the US.