A true rag-to-riches story, Shelim Hussain MBE founded Euro Foods Group back in 1991 with a £20 investment. Now worth an estimated £120million, the business is now one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and distributors of frozen and fresh foods. In the last 30+ years, Shelim has expanded the Euro Foods business offering, opened new subsidiary companies, and built six depots across the UK.
The latest feather in his cap of savvy business decisions is the installation of cost-saving decarbonisation equipment across Euro Foods depots and offices. Shelim opted to install solar panels because of escalating electricity prices, which he says have tripled in recent years. This surge in costs pushed his operational expenses to a level that was no longer sustainable, prompting his decision.
After initially planning to self-manage the funding and installation of the solar project, Shelim decided to call in the experts. Channel Partner Solarsense came to the conversation to provide the most cost-effective and energy-efficient solution.
Project snapshot
Industry: Food Manufacturing & Distribution
Channel Partner: Solarsense
Equipment:
1.04MW system comprising 2,343 DMEGC panels and 8 Solis inverters
Payment Plan term: 84 months
CO2 emissions saved per year: 230 tonnes
The solution
Upon assessing Euro Foods’ main site in Cwmbran, Solarsense recommended the installation of a 1.04MW system comprising over 2300 solar panels and 8 solar inverters. Due to the sheer scale of the project, Solarsense suggested funding the installation with a Smart Ease Payment Plan.
Using a Smart Ease Payment Plan, Euro Foods would be able to install the solar system with £0 upfront and pay down the cost of the installation through manageable monthly payments over 84 months.
Without having to sink any of their own funds in the Cwmbran project, Euro Foods could then roll out decarbonisation technology across all its sites and begin enjoying the cost-saving benefits of solar without the crippling financial investment.
The win
The solar installation at Cwmbran began in January 2024. Already, the system is estimated to be reducing Euro Foods’ energy usage by 40%, resulting in drastically reduced electricity bills. In fact, Euro Foods monthly energy bill savings have been more than the cost of its monthly Smart Ease repayments, making the whole installation a cash-flow positive one.
The Euro Food solar project is a great example of how installing decarbonisation equipment at your business premises is so much more than just a sustainability initiative – although reduced carbon emissions are always a welcome outcome.
For Shelim, installing solar was a solution to managing Euro Foods’ rapidly rising energy expenditure. Euro Foods is now able to replicate this cost-saving success across its six sites, all while getting closer to Net Zero.
Start a conversation with Smart Ease and find out how our Payment Plans can help you meet sustainability goals and save on energy costs.