Bailey of Bristol: leading the way in energy-saving initiatives…

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Bailey of Bristol have installed 800 solar panels on their manufacturing plant in Clevedon, Somerset, taking another step towards their goal of becoming a carbon-neutral business.

The 800 panels are capable of generating 333 kilowatts of energy, which is equivalent to approximately two thirds of the annual power requirement of the facility. Bailey has invested £400k in the installation, with costs expected to be recouped over the next four years.

 

This initiative is part of their company-wide energy management programme, which aims to reduce their overall power consumption at each of their three sites as well as becoming more self-sufficient via further solar panel installations, all with the common goal of eventually becoming a carbon neutral business.

Other ways in which Bailey are improving their sustainability include:

• For every new Bailey caravan or motorhome purchased, trees are planted through the Woodland Trust Carbon Scheme to offset the carbon emissions generated during manufacture.

• Wherever possible, renewable materials are used in the manufacture of Bailey vehicles, making them up to 75% recyclable at end of life.

• Bailey’s carbon footprint across their three sites in Bristol is being continually reduced through the use of solar power, LED lighting and 100% renewable energy supply. 

• Bailey was the first company in the industry to implement a waste recycling scheme and they endeavour to continue reducing their waste and energy consumption levels. Since the scheme was implemented, they’ve reduced the amount of waste sent to landfill by half!
  
  

An official Bailey dealership

At Winchester Caravans and Motorhomes, we’re an official Bailey dealership, a trusted partner in the marketplace. We stock all new Bailey caravans and motorhomes and our team holds expert knowledge that allows them to ensure all potential customers are well-informed on the various options.

What’s more, our skilled technicians who work in our NCC-approved workshop are experienced in maintaining Bailey vehicles, which means customers utilising our servicing, repairs and warranties services will be well looked after too.

Check out the Bailey caravans and motorhomes we have in stock and then pop in if you’d like to know more or take a closer look.

Harnessing solar power…

Having a solar panel on your caravan or motorhome can open up many possibilities, enabling you to power your vehicle if you have plans to go off grid, are parking roadside for overnight stops or fancy a site that doesn’t have electric hook-up.

Many new caravan and motorhome models come with a solar panel as standard, and others can be added as an optional extra. If you’re buying pre-owned or already have a caravan or motorhome, keep in mind that you can opt to have a solar panel installed at any time. They’re inexpensive so you’ll soon see return on investment when you reap the benefits of having free electricity whenever you need it.

Let us fit your solar panel…

As well as offering great value for money, other benefits of solar panels are that they’re lightweight and compact so you’ll barely know they’re there! And they’re quick to fit so you can have yours fitted in time for your upcoming trip.

Solar panels for leisure vehicles generally come in 60w, 80w, 100w and 120w. At Winchester Caravans and Motorhomes we fit two types of solar panel - Sargent and Truma - with the most popular size being 100w. 

100w Sargent

• Weighs in at 8.5kg

• Measures 1170mm x 534mm x 35mm

• Can be fitted by our expert workshop team for approx £599

100w Truma 

• Weighs 8.8kg

• Measures 1263mm x 535mm x 70mm 

• We can fit this for an approx price of £499

In addition to the solar panels that we fit to vehicles, we also sell freestanding 100w panels, which are lightweight, foldable and portable and even come with USB ports for charging your devices. Check them out in our online shop - we’re offering 5% off all orders right now when you enter code WIN5 at the checkout!

Did you know?

• When sunlight shines on a solar panel, energy from the sun is absorbed by the photovoltaic (PV) cells in the panel. This energy creates electrical charges that move in response to an internal electrical field in the cell, causing electricity to flow.

• In a leisure vehicle, the flow of electricity is directed into the leisure battery.

• Even on the cloudiest of days solar panels will still be able to collect some power! However, their efficiency is likely to only be around 34% of that on a sunny day, so be sure to plan for some cloudy days when you’re considering how much power you might need during your trip.

• You can use your solar panels to not only power your leisure vehicle during the day, but also to charge your leisure battery for use during nighttime hours too.
  
  

Check out our selection of Bailey caravans and motorhomes or pop into the showroom to explore the options fully. If you’d like to go carbon neutral on your next trip, get in touch to find out more about fitting a solar panel to your existing vehicle…

 

 

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